Book 15 - Family Ties
by GailDunn2
Summary: WARNING: SOME ADULT CONTENT AND SITUATIONS. There is a way to take care of Lucifer, but it will be a long and difficult road, and not all of the God Squad will survive the journey. Some relationships will be lost, and some are about to change forever.
1. Kiss, Marry, Kill

Chapter 1 - Kiss, Marry, Kill

Felicia pushed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive.

She shouldn't be doing this. And she definitely shouldn't have lied to Frank and Jody about it. But Felicia couldn't seem to help herself. Mark had called and said that he wanted to see her, and truthfully, Felicia wanted to see him, too.

Her feelings towards Mark were mixed-up. On the one hand, she still loved her husband, and she missed him. They had been together for a number of years, and they had adopted Robbie together and parented him together up until just recently. But then Mark had just suddenly left their house one day and left Felicia a note, saying that he was going into service for Lucifer. And, except for one brief and unpleasant phone call, Felicia and Mark hadn't spoken since. Sometimes, absence does make the heart grow fonder, and in Felicia's mind, this was proving to be the case.

So when Mark had called her, Felicia was willing to go and see him, to find out where his head was at. He had sounded subdued on the phone, not full of braggadocio, as he had been the last time they'd spoken. Maybe he was trying to reach out to her, to do the right thing. Felicia felt like she owed it to herself to find out. Besides, if she could find out anything at all about Lucifer's whereabouts, she had to try. Poor Castiel had been so out of his mind when Gail was gone, and he had finally told Felicia what had happened that night between the three of them when Felicia had been hiding out with Robbie in her son's room. Lucifer had been about to attack Robbie earlier that night, but Gail had saved his life, and Felicia had then cowered in Robbie's room while Lucifer had done whatever he had done to Gail to wipe her mind. Gail was back now, thank God, and Bobby had told Felicia that Gail was fine, and she seemed to be regaining her memories nicely. But Felicia had not gone to visit her. She felt responsible for what happened to Gail, in a way, and for Castiel's suffering, also. She should have at least tried to fight Lucifer, but instead, she had hidden in Robbie's room like a coward. Felicia felt like she couldn't face them until she tried to do something to balance the scales a bit, and this could be just the thing.

There was another, more pragmatic reason for going to see Mark, too: Felicia was nearly broke. She hadn't exactly been lying to Frank and Jody, she rationalized. Well, at least, not about her intentions. She had been meaning to get a job. Bobby had given her the little house that she and Robbie lived in near the bunker now, and he had given her some money. But the money had nearly run out now, and Felicia didn't want to ask Bobby for any more. He had already done so much for her. But she didn't know how to go about getting a job. Perhaps she would ask Mark about it. He had always provided for her and Robbie, though now she realized that she had no idea how he had done it. Mark had never told her where the money came from, and she had never asked. Maybe Mark would give her some money, if their meeting went well. She had heard of something called "child support"; maybe Mark could give her some of that.

She knocked on the door of Mark's room and he opened the door, smiling.

"Come in, please," Mark said, opening the door wide. He closed and locked it behind them. "I've missed you," he told her, and he opened his arms. Felicia looked at him for a moment. Mark frowned. "Come on, Felicia," he said.

"What are you doing, Mark?" she said angrily. But then she cursed herself. This was no way to start up a civilized conversation. So she relented, and walked into his arms.

Mark hugged her tightly, and now he was smiling again. She was so easy. In just another few minutes, he would have her in that bed, and once she was there, she wouldn't be nearly as holier-than-thou. Maybe he would take a few pictures with his cell phone and e-mail them to her Angel friends.

"I've missed you, Felicia," he said. "Let's sit down and talk for a bit."

Frank and Jody had been sitting at the table talking with Cas and Gail, prior to going over to Felicia's house, when Sam and Dean came into the kitchen.

"We told them our news," Frank said to the brothers.

"It's about time," Sam said cheerfully. "Now you can move out to your own place, and our food bill will reduce exponentially."

"It's not my fault Jody eats as much as she does," Frank quipped. Jody punched him on the shoulder.

"It's not the food, it's all that fornicating they've been doing that's the problem," Dean said with a wicked grin. "And with God and all those Angels hanging around here, too. You guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves."

"I still have my service pistol, you know," Jody said to Dean, but she was smiling.

"They aren't fornicating," Cas piped up. Dean looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Fornication refers to idolatry," Cas continued. "Lust. Making love is not fornication. Not under the new laws we wrote, anyway."

"Oh, you mean the laws that you and Gail worked so hard to revise," Sam said with a grin. He took two beers out of the fridge and handed one to Dean. "That explains a lot."

"Har, har," Gail said, making a face at Sam. "Very funny. You know how Draconian those laws were. They had to go, Sam."

"Yes, and it was very puzzling," Cas added. "God has never had a problem with love between couples. He often told me that love was one of His best and finest creations. And He doesn't care who the couples are, whether they're of the opposite sex, or the same sex, as long as there is love between them."

"So He doesn't care if they're married or not?" Jody asked Cas. This was interesting to her. It wasn't too often you got to talk theology with someone who had been around since the time of Creation.

"No. He never did," Cas confirmed. "That's a human interpretation of His laws and Commandments, and it was shaped by the moral standards of the times. The same goes for homosexuality. Even now, there are so-called religious factions that condemn homosexuality in His name. But as long as the two individuals are of age and consenting with each other, He is very happy that they are expressing their love."

"What about Dean?" Sam said, smirking at his brother. "He's been expressing his love in motels all across the States for years now."

Cas smiled. "Well...that just means that Dean's got a lot of love to give."

Everyone laughed at that, and Gail felt very proud of Cas. He'd certainly come a long way in the quips department.

But then Cas frowned. "It hurts Him to witness adultery, though. That's where that Commandment stems from. Many people interpret it in their own way, but basically, it's lies and betrayal between people who have given their love to each other which hurt Him the most. And acts of incest and pedophilia are abominations, because they too represent betrayals of trust, and loss of innocence. So, it's not sex that God has a problem with, at all; it is the perversions of the gift of love He gave to the human race to enjoy that He abhors."

"Well, there you go, Dean," Frank said, elbowing his friend. "As long as you're not being perverted about it, you're fine."

"What fun is that?" Dean quipped. Then he looked at Cas and Gail. "OK, you two. It's time to solve the mystery, once and for all. What's your deal?"

"Deal?" Cas repeated.

"Yeah, Cas, your deal," Dean said. "Are you guys enjoying the gift, or aren't you?"

Gail was bemused, and she was also a little relieved by his question. She was reminded that neither Dean nor anyone else besides her and Cas would have any recollection of the time that she and Cas had been enjoying the gift of love vociferously, over and over again, when they had been deep in the throes of the disease.

Cas realized what she was thinking, and he took Gail's hand. "God meant for us to enjoy the experience of loving each other, Dean," he said, squeezing Gail's hand gently.

Dean shook his head in disgust. A typical Angel answer to a question; a non-answer, in other words. They'd been dancing around the subject for three years now. Cas was making him nuts. He'd claimed they'd had a hot weekend in Vegas before Gail had disappeared, and now he was being evasive about it. "Gail?" Dean said, raising an eyebrow to her. "Have you got anything to say about this?" Maybe she'd give him a straight answer.

"What?" she said, feigning innocence.

Sam nudged Dean. "Maybe she doesn't want to say in front of her brother," Sam said, grinning again.

Frank shrugged. "Aah, she's a grownup now. Besides, she's an Angel. I used to worry about her a lot more than she was a teenager, and she was human. At least she can't get pregnant, now."

Now it was Jody who nudged Frank. "It's not just for procreation, smartass," she chided him.

He grinned at her. "That's true. At least, not the way we sometimes - "

"Frank!" Jody exclaimed, and she punched him again, hard. "Really? In front of your sister?"

"She's adopted," Frank quipped.

No one laughed, except for Gail. "Oh my God, Frank," she said, rolling her eyes. "That's awful." She looked at the others, who were all looking stricken. "That's Frank for you," Gail said, smiling.

"And on that note, we'd better go," Frank said. He rose and took Jody's hand. "We've still gotta hit the drive-thru."

They left, and Sam and Dean picked up their beer bottles and rose, too. "We're gonna go watch a movie," Dean told Cas and Gail. "You guys coming?"

"In a minute," Gail said to him. She was looking at Cas. Dean exchanged glances with Sam, rolling his eyes. These two.

"Are you all right?" Cas asked Gail after the brothers left the room. She had laughed when Frank had made his remark, but he thought he should ask anyway. Try as he might, it was difficult for Cas to get used to Frank's sense of humour sometimes.

"Yes, I'm fine, Cas," Gail replied. "I just wanted to talk to you alone for a minute."

"What about?" he asked.

"I've been thinking that we should get our own place, too," she said. "It's time, Cas."

His face lit up. "I think you're right. All this talk about love has led me to think that we might need a little more privacy from time to time," he said to her.

"Exactly," Gail agreed. She took both of his hands in hers. "I think we might want to be free to enjoy the gift of love ourselves, and we definitely need the privacy," she said mischievously. "Seriously, though, I liked what you said. I thought it was right on point. I don't think our Father would have intended lovemaking to feel so good if it was just supposed to be for procreation, do you?"

Cas smiled. "Of course not," he said softly. He leaned in closer to her and nuzzled her cheek with his. "If that was the case, He wouldn't have created a woman's body the way He did," he said into her ear. "You have that one special place, the place that's uniquely you. And if a man loves you enough to find it while he's making love to you, that means he loves you above anything and anyone else." Now his lips were brushing her ear. "And if you should so decide, that means he is your mate for the rest of time."

Gail was smiling. She wished they had their own place right now and were in it. "I so decide," she told him.

Cas kissed her then, and just as she was opening her mouth to receive his tongue, his cell phone rang. Cas was sorely tempted to ignore it, but Gail broke the kiss and said, "Crap. Whoever that is, they have the worst timing in the world."

He smiled, then reached into his pocket. But once he took the phone out and checked the Call Display, Cas frowned. He wished now that he had ignored it.

"Yes?" Cas said irritably into the phone.

"Do you always answer the phone that way, Castiel?" Crowley said, bemused.

"Only when I see it's you," Cas retorted.

Crowley smiled. His Brother's rudeness didn't bother him one bit; in fact, he'd thought that had been a remark almost worthy of himself. "Have you and Gail had your little talk yet?"

Castiel drew a blank, and then he figured out what Crowley must be talking about. "I'm putting you on speaker," he said, pushing the button and placing his phone on the kitchen table.

"How are you, sweetheart?" Crowley said. "Aurielle still alive?"

"Yes, she's still alive," Gail said. She gestured to Cas, who frowned as Crowley said, "Pity. I guess I lost the pool, then." Cas looked at Gail, giving her a half-shrug, and she understood. Just Crowley being Crowley.

"Will I be seeing you in the classroom, then?" Crowley asked Gail.

She rolled her eyes, but Cas's frown deepened. His Brother seemed just a little too eager for Cas's liking.

And Crowley was eager, too. He had thought about it, and it had occurred to him that it might be to his distinct advantage to provide Gail with some lessons, if he went about it the right way. He'd only had the chance to read a few of their abilities when the three of them had been comparing their blades, when they had been having their secret sessions. Crowley really wanted to know what the two of them might be capable of. They were tenuous allies right now, but he knew that this would not always be the case, and Crowley didn't like surprises. If he could find out now what their powers were, he would be one step ahead of the game. He also remembered that the Angels currently had possession of Metatron's blade. If he could persuade Gail to bring it along, he could also find out all about Metatron's special talents, at the same time. Just because that particular Brother of theirs had dropped off the grid since his escape from the cage didn't mean that he'd be gone indefinitely. Bad pennies had a way of turning up when you least wanted them to, sometimes.

"We'll call you back in a minute," Cas said, and he punched the disconnect button on the phone.

"I don't like it," he said to Gail. "He seems far too cooperative."

She smiled. She knew what he meant. "Maybe we should go talk to him, face to face," Gail suggested. "It's hard to read expressions over the phone."

Cas sighed. He'd had about enough of Crowley for one day. But he supposed the sooner they were able to arrange something, the better. Also, he had to break it to his Brother that he would not be getting Aurielle back. Whatever they decided to do about her, Castiel did not want to kill her, only to have her end up back in Hell, tortured by Crowley. Cas would never be comfortable around Aurielle, but he did feel some compassion for her now. There had to be another way to handle her.

He took Gail's hand, and they popped out of the bunker.

Felicia and Mark had been talking for a while, and he was growing frustrated with her now. She was not proving to be as easily persuaded as he thought that she would be.

"Why don't you come with me and at least meet Lucifer?" Mark was asking her. "You know, he's not the monster that people make him out to be."

"He's the Devil, Mark," Felicia pointed out. "That's monster enough for me. You shouldn't be working with him. What's the matter with you?"

Mark looked at her coolly. "Nothing's the matter with me," he told her. "I finally feel free."

"Free!?" Felicia exclaimed. "You didn't feel free when you were with me?"

"I did, at first," Mark replied. "When you rebelled against your father and left Heaven for me, I felt like I was the most important person in your life."

"You are," Felicia said quickly. "I mean, you were," she amended.

"Yeah, that's right," Mark retorted. "I WAS. Then we adopted Robbie, and then HE came first. Him, before me. Every time, all the time."

"That's not true," Felicia protested. "I loved both of you. And I always made time for you, Mark. We were a family."

"Well, maybe I didn't want to be a family," he said peevishly. She wasn't getting it. "When Lucifer lays waste to the Earth and takes over Heaven, we could be right there with him, Felicia. We could have anything we want. Be anything we want."

"Heaven?" she said sharply. "His plan is to take over Heaven?"

Crap, Mark thought. He probably shouldn't have told her that. But a part of him still wanted her to be with him, and he'd thought that if she knew that Lucifer actually wanted to rule Heaven and not Hell, she might be more inclined to give it a chance.

But Felicia's eyes were wide. "Mark, why would you help him to take over Heaven? That's our home!"

"Heaven?" Mark scoffed. "That's not home. You hated it there. But when Lucifer rides in and kills all the Angels who won't stand with us, it'll be the kind of place we want it to be, then."

"You can't mean that," Felicia gasped.

"I can't?" Mark said, smiling. "Why not? I'm his second-in-command, Felicia. You and I could write our own ticket."

"To what?" she snapped. "Eternal damnation?"

Now Mark was digging his heels in. He couldn't believe she couldn't see how great an opportunity this was that he was handing to her. "There wouldn't be any damnation, or condemnation, or judgement, Felicia," he insisted. "That's the beauty of it. No God, no sanctimonious Angels. Just total and complete freedom."

"No God? No Angels?" Felicia exclaimed again. "What about Bobby? What about my friends?"

"What about them?" Mark sneered. "You think they're your friends?"

"They've been really good to me, Mark. They've helped me with Robbie, a lot. And since you haven't been around, I've clearly needed the help," she said resentfully. "Two of my friends are looking after him right now, in fact."

"Then, let them have him," Mark said blithely. "We don't need him. You and I are great together, Felicia." He grabbed her and pulled her to him. "Do you remember all the hot nights we used to have, and some of the afternoon sessions, when he was at school, or at the neighbours'?" he said. Mark kissed her with his tongue and pulled up her skirt, stroking her through her underwear. "We could have those anytime, any way we want," he murmured. "I know what you like, Felicia. I could give it to you, right now. Why don't you come over to the bed with me? Then we can talk some more afterwards. After I make you scream once, or twice, maybe." His fingers were in her underwear now, and then they were in her, and Felicia closed her eyes. Mark was making her feel good, and she had to admit that she had missed him doing this to her. Her hand crept to the front of his pants and she unzipped them, touching him there. Mark smiled. He kissed her again, then said, "Let's move this party over to the bed. We're going to need the room, if you want me to do it to you your favourite way."

Felicia opened her eyes, looking at her husband. She should really not be letting him do this. She had come here for information, not for this. But she was starting to get the feeling now, and it had been so long. Her favourite way was not very Angelic at all, but Mark was her husband, and he had always enthusiastically obliged whenever she had shyly suggested it. He had been the first one to broach the subject years ago, and at first, she was shocked. But she had been crazy in love with him, so she had acquiesced. And now it was her favourite, because she felt very naughty when they did it. She'd had such an oppressed upbringing that when Mark made love to her from behind, Felicia had almost felt like each thrust he made was sending a message to Heaven. They had said she shouldn't enjoy something like that, but God help her, she did.

She leaned forward and kissed Mark with her tongue, and then he stood up and took her hand, leading her over to the bed. He removed her skirt and her underpants, and she got onto the bed and got down on all fours. Mark smiled. Perfect. If she was willing to do this, she would be willing to do other things.

He took off his pants and lowered himself onto her.

Frank and Jody were watching a movie with Robbie. He had eaten his kids' meal, and now he had a cookie in his hand.

"Can I have a bite of your cookie?" Frank teased him.

Robbie was sitting on Frank's lap, as usual, and he tilted his head up to look at Frank's face. "No!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah?" Frank said. Frank grabbed Robbie's arm, and Frank brought the cookie up to his own mouth. "Cookie Monster say yes," Frank quipped, and he took a bite.

Robbie looked at the cookie. "Frank! You almost ate the whole thing!" But then he shrugged. They had more in the kitchen, and he had been taught to share. But just to be safe, Robbie popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth and chewed it quickly.

"Guys, can you settle down?" Jody said, smiling. "I'm trying to follow the complex plot of this movie."

Frank grinned. "Bad guys threaten the world, epic fight, lots of explosions, good guys win. There. There's the plot of every movie I will ever watch. Right, Robbie?" He tickled the boy, who laughed and squirmed. But Robbie didn't leave Frank's lap. He never did. This was his favourite place to be, next to his own mother's lap. Robbie loved his Uncle Frank, and his Aunt Jody, too. Actually, he was one of the luckiest kids in the world, and he knew it. Ever since his Dad had left them, Robbie had acquired a boatload of Aunts and Uncles, and they all treated him great. The only one he hadn't seen much of this summer was Uncle Cas, and Robbie hadn't seen Aunt Gail in even longer than that. He had asked his Mom about it a few months back, and she hadn't said much, just that Aunt Gail was "out of town". But it had been weird; every time Robbie had asked anybody about where Aunt Gail was, and why Uncle Cas was hardly ever there any more, everybody got a strange look on their face, and the subject was abruptly changed. Finally, Uncle Cas had been at the bunker one day, but he was sitting in a corner and everybody was ignoring him. So before his mother could stop him, Robbie had gone to Uncle Cas and asked him how long Aunt Gail was going to be out of town for. He missed the rides she gave him in her wheelchair sometimes. His Dad was supposed to be out of town, too, Robbie had told Cas, but Robbie didn't believe that any more. He knew his father was never going to come back. Was Aunt Gail ever going to come back? Uncle Cas had just stared at Robbie, not saying a word, and then he had stood suddenly and left the room, and Robbie was sure that he was crying. His Mom had come over after that and told Robbie sternly not to ask about Aunt Gail any more.

Robbie's birthday had come and gone, and they'd had a big party for him at the bunker. That night, when his mother had put him to bed, she'd started to tell him about Angels and humans, and the difference between them. But Robbie had interrupted her. He wasn't a little kid any more, he had assured his mom, and he'd overheard quite a few things in all the time they had been staying at the bunker. So it turned out that Robbie had figured most of it out for himself. So he knew now that his Mom was an Angel, and so were some of his Aunts and Uncles, and some others were humans, just like him. Then his Mom had haltingly told him about Lucifer, and Demons, and Robbie had understood that, too. It was scary to think of, but he'd always known that there were bad guys and good guys in real life, just like there were in the comic books he liked and the movies he watched. His Mom had told him about Stranger Danger when he'd been a much younger kid, and this was pretty much the same thing. If he ever saw anyone with black eyes, he was to run away, as fast as he could. But he couldn't tell a teacher or a policeman about this particular type of stranger. Most humans didn't understand, and many didn't believe.

By then, Robbie had put two and two together, and he had asked his Mom if his Dad had left them to go join the bad guys. His mother had started to cry then, and Robbie had apologized. But he figured that he had his answer.

He'd been scared that maybe Aunt Gail had done the same thing, and that was why he wasn't supposed to ask about her. But a few days ago, Robbie's Mom had told him that Aunt Gail was back at the bunker now, and they would go visit as soon as they could. Robbie had been relieved, and when Frank and Jody got here today and his Mom had left, Robbie had asked his Uncle Frank how Aunt Gail was. Frank had grinned and said that she was great, and then the three of them had eaten, and now they were watching the movie.

Frank kept looking at his watch. They'd been here a while, and he wondered how much longer Felicia was going to be. He and Jody had been hoping to go look at a few houses today. He was anxious to move out of the bunker and begin their new life together. He looked at Jody. She was looking through the DVDs on the shelf by the TV, trying to find a movie she could watch without rolling her eyes too much. No girly movies, of course, but maybe something with a bit of a plot, at least. It would have to be G-rated, though. Felicia wasn't back yet, and she hadn't said how long she was going to be gone. What was Robbie's bedtime, anyway?

Another hour passed, then two, and Frank and Jody began to look at each other. How long did a job interview take? Bobby had set Felicia up in this house and he had made sure to install a phone in the kitchen, but Felicia had no cell phone. She'd told them that she was taking the bus to the interview. At what point should they start to really worry?

Frank leaned across Robbie and whispered in Jody's ear. "We'll give her one more hour, and then I'm calling Sam and Dean." Jody nodded.

"So, what'll it be?" Crowley said to Gail.

Cas was looking at his Brother's face, trying to read his expression. Crowley was wearing his usual smirk, but beyond that, Cas couldn't really tell why he was so eager to begin the lessons.

"Before we discuss that, I wanted to let you know that Aurielle will not be returning to your domain," Cas told Crowley.

Crowley's eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," Cas replied evenly. "You will not be getting her back."

"Why?" Crowley said angrily. "What are YOU going to do with her?"

"Show her some compassion," Castiel said testily. "Something I'm sure would not be on your agenda."

"Really, Castiel? You're going to show her compassion. After everything she's done to you, and to Gail," Crowley said sarcastically. He looked at Gail. "Are you sure it's not Castiel who's got amnesia? How do you feel about this?"

"I'm OK with it," Gail told him. "And just so you know, I've gotten all of my memories back. And I do mean, ALL of them. So if I take lessons from you, I have a couple of conditions. Otherwise, we can forget it."

Crowley smiled at her. Interesting. He knew she was an Angel, but she was talking more like a Demon. "And what would those be, sweetheart?" he asked, amused.

"Number one, we get Aurielle. Number two, once we decide on a location, Castiel will come along with me for the first lesson. That way, he'll know exactly where we'll be. And three, if I see your hand coming towards my forehead, I'm out of there," she said tartly.

Now Crowley was smirking again, but when he noticed the dark look on Castiel's face, he stopped. Now that Cas had re-learned everything that had happened during that time, he remembered that Crowley had abducted Gail at one point when Cas had been the Demon and taken her to the furthest reaches of Hell. She obviously remembered that now, too. While Castiel actually doubted that his Brother would try to pull a stunt like that again, that did not stop him from staring daggers at Crowley now.

Crowley sighed. "All right, Castiel. Don't get your knickers in a knot. I promise that my intentions are completely honourable. I'm only interested in the dear lady's education."

Cas continued to scowl. The day his Brother's intentions were honourable would be the day that pigs sprouted wings. But it seemed to him that Gail had a good handle on the situation, so he said nothing for the moment.

Crowley continued to stare at Castiel, but when he saw that no comment was forthcoming, he said to Gail, "If I were to agree to your conditions, I might have a couple of my own."

"Yeah? And what would those be?" Gail asked him warily.

"You and Castiel will bring your blades with you - " Crowley started to say, and Cas muttered, "We'll be bringing blades, all right." Now it was Gail's turn to smirk, and Crowley rolled his eyes but continued, "And, you'll also bring Metatron's blade. That way, we can all learn what his special talents are, while we're at it."

Cas shrugged. He supposed that was all right. Metatron had been a menace to them all at one time or another, and he was still at large.

Gail nodded. "OK," she said to Crowley. "What else?"

"I just don't think I can let you have Aurielle," Crowley said casually. "After all, she's the one who facilitated their escape to begin with. I need to make an example of her."

"She was acting at the behest of the former board members, was she not?" Castiel asked him. He was thinking about what Aurielle had said, about being used and ill-treated by men. He knew those three men all too well, and Cas highly doubted that Aurielle would have perpetrated anything like that on her own.

"Yes," Crowley answered him. "So what?"

"So, I presume you've already dealt with Xavier, Lanister and Alexander in a like manner?" Castiel asked him.

"Well, no..." Crowley replied.

Cas looked at Gail. "I believe that's what's called a 'double standard', is it not?" he said to her.

Gail smiled. "That's exactly what it is," she agreed.

"Oh, all right, then," Crowley said irritably. Truthfully, he knew that Aurielle had more or less been an unwitting pawn in the whole thing. He was just angry about it, and he'd wanted to punish someone. He HAD tortured the three former board members, but he wanted more. "Take her, then. For all the good it'll do you. Good luck with that; she's still a Demon. I wouldn't turn my back on her for a moment if I were you, sweetheart," he said to Gail.

She frowned. In a way, he was right. Their new, enlightened approach was all very well and good, but Aurielle WAS a Demon, and Gail didn't believe she felt entirely comfortable turning her back on Aurielle just yet. Cas's idea had sounded so good, but...

"Why don't you just have Bobby turn her into a human?" Crowley went on. "If you want to keep her so badly, turn her loose on Earth. Let her make her own choices. Then, if she makes the wrong ones, I'll get her back anyway. But in the meantime, she won't have any powers, so she'll be no match for either one of you."

Cas and Gail exchanged glances. If only. They had already talked about that, but they knew that Bobby no longer had that ability, because Bobby was no longer God.

Crowley saw the look they exchanged, and he was intrigued by it. These two were keeping something from him, and judging by the furtive looks on their faces, it was something big. Then it dawned on him. "What's the matter?" he asked slyly. "I know that Bobby doesn't have all the big-ticket items that God had, or even that I do, but I know he can do that. He did it for the two of you, before you went to Las Vegas. And Castiel did it for Frank, that day that he was God," Crowley mused aloud. "But I can tell by the looks on your faces that there's something wrong. Are you sure you play poker, Castiel?" Crowley's smile started to grow. "He can't do it, can he? That's it, isn't it? And we know he doesn't have the power of revival, either. Are you sure he's even your God, then? Maybe I should be God, come to that."

Castiel had his poker face back on, and Gail was trying to look as innocent as possible, but Crowley already had his answer. There was no sense pursuing the matter, because he knew they would never confirm it out loud. Still, it was very interesting, indeed. He only regretted he didn't have the numbers right now, or the balance of power between the two realms might change radically. Damn Lucifer. If he hadn't played the Pied Piper of Evil and lured countless Demons away from Crowley, the King might have had the army he would need to take down the Angels. But as it was, he needed to let that go for the time being and concentrate on Lucifer. Still, Crowley would keep what he knew in his hip pocket. Save it for a rainy day.

"So are you saying that YOU have the power to change Demons into humans, then?" Gail asked Crowley, trying to take the focus off of Bobby.

"Maybe I do," Crowley replied evasively. "But I find it very interesting that the man who is supposed to be God keeps coming to me for my powers. Maybe I should just kill a few Angels, and see what Bobby has to say about it."

Predictably enough, Castiel growled, "Or maybe I should just kill you now, and save you the trouble."

"Do you think that we will ever have a meeting at which there isn't at least one death threat from you, Castiel?" Crowley said sardonically. He looked at Gail. "Can't you do anything to keep him calmer?"

"Maybe if you weren't so rude all the time, he wouldn't feel the need to be this way," Gail said coolly. "I'm pretty sure you didn't mean what you said about killing Angels, but you need to watch what you say. I'm with Cas on this one."

"What a surprise," Crowley said, rolling his eyes. "All right, all right. I didn't mean that. I was just trying to get a rise out of you two. Fine, we'll leave it alone for the time being. But this isn't over. Once we've taken care of Lucifer, we'll all have to sit down and have a nice, long chat about things." He sighed. "Bring her to me, then, and I'll change her for you."

But Castiel couldn't let it alone. "If you've had the ability to do that all this time, why didn't you just do it with Frank, when I came for him?" he asked his Brother.

Crowley's eyes flashed red. "Why should I have?!" he exclaimed. "Believe it or not, the world doesn't exist to serve you, Castiel, and neither do I! You'd better hope your friend Bobby can help you out in the future, because when I get my army back, we'll see who will be serving whom! You've had things your own way for entirely too long, and our Father and Bobby have spoiled you. I was hoping that Gail and Dean and Sam would keep their backs turned to you after the reprehensible things you did, but now that you're an Angel again, I can see that your attitude hasn't changed. You still think you're entitled to receive every blessing that comes your way, and believe me, there have been a lot of them. Well, we'll see about that."

Crowley turned to Gail, and the red faded from his eyes. "You disappoint me," he said to her. "But I will honour our deal. Call me when you bring Aurielle, and I will return." Then he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Cas stood there with his mouth open. He hadn't expected such an outburst from Crowley. They had said much worse things to each other, many times, and Crowley hadn't batted an eyelash. And while Cas didn't necessarily believe that he had deserved the full extent of his Brother's rage, what Crowley had said had still stung a bit. Cas HAD acted reprehensibly towards his loved ones when he'd been a Demon, and he was indeed very lucky to still be included in their company. Gail's, most especially.

He looked at her. "You don't think that of me, do you?" he asked Gail.

She smiled. "No, I don't, Cas. That's just Crowley, being an ass. Every time things don't go his way, he pouts. I'll tell you something, though. We'd better have some pretty good powers at our disposal. Once we take care of Lucifer, I wouldn't put it past him to make a power play. And if Bobby doesn't have his Godly powers any more, we might be facing a whole new set of challenges. But, we'll burn that bridge when we get to it." She looked at his face, expecting a smile, or a puzzled look. But he was still frowning.

"I honestly don't feel entitled to your love, Gail," he said earnestly. "I realize how lucky I am that you have forgiven me."

"I know, Cas," she said softly. She put her arms around his neck. "I'll tell you what. I'll make you do some penance. When we get our new place and our human family comes over, I'll make you do the dishes and take out the garbage. Maybe for about a year. That should keep you nice and humble."

Finally, she got a smile from him. Cas was excited at the prospect of getting another house with Gail. They truly would have a fresh start, now. And it would begin with the most beautiful ring that he and Sam and Dean could find.

But they had to take care of the situation with Aurielle, first. Cas wrapped his arms around Gail and hugged her, and they winked back to the bunker.

Felicia was laying in Mark's arms, and he was gently kissing her forehead. That had been really good, probably the best they'd had since they had adopted the kid. Once Robbie had come along, Mark knew that their son was always in the back of Felicia's mind, even when she and Mark had been alone together. And once her father had moved in with them, she had been so inhibited by his presence that their sessions had been short, and fairly perfunctory. But then the old coot had died, and by then Robbie had gotten a little older, and Mark had thought that things would get better again. But Felicia had been grieving, and then Lucifer had called Mark into service. Mark hadn't realized how pent-up he'd been. But this had been just what the doctor had ordered. And poor Felicia had been doing without too, hanging around with Angels all this time. Mark had known just what to do, and how to handle her, and when Felicia had screamed out his name, telling Mark she loved him, he had stopped what he was doing and asked her how much. More than anything, she'd told him, because she knew that's what he'd wanted to hear. Will you do as I say? Mark had asked her, and she'd said yes, because she'd needed him to continue at that point, and because that was the way the game was played. So he had resumed, and she had screamed again, and now they were lying in each other's arms, spent.

"I'll take you to see Lucifer in a few minutes," Mark said to Felicia now. "Then, if he doesn't have any tasks for me, we'll come back here for a while. I booked this room for the night, and I also packed a couple of those special items that we like to use. Then we'll check out in the morning and start our new life."

Felicia was horrified at what he was saying. What the hell had she done? She had no intentions of meeting Lucifer, and she certainly wasn't about to leave the life she had now to join him. She had succumbed to Mark because she still loved him and honoured him as her husband, and because she'd thought he might be a little easier to talk to afterwards. He'd always been more receptive to her after she had let him do some of those things to her in bed. And she had to admit, it had felt good. But now that the feeling had receded a bit and she could think clearly again, she began to realize that there was nothing she could say that would convince Mark to leave Lucifer's service.

She moved to get out of the bed, but Mark's arms were still around her, and they tightened now. "Where are you going, Felicia?" he asked her.

"Home," she said shortly. She looked at his face. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come here."

"Maybe it WAS a mistake, then," Mark said, frowning. "I thought you wanted to be with me. You were just screaming my name, telling me you'd do anything I said. What happened to that?"

"That's the way we've always done that," Felicia replied. "When you spank me and pretend to discipline me, that's part of the game; that's all."

"Well, I like it when you say that," Mark said, and he held her even tighter. "And I think I need to hear more of it. You will come with me to see Lucifer, and you will get down on your knees and worship him." He smiled. "And then we'll come back here, and you'll get down on your knees and worship me."

"I worship God," Felicia said sharply. "And you need to let me go." She started to struggle, but Mark was getting angry now, and he was too strong. He moved on top of her and pinned her arms down on the bed.

"Stop it, Felicia, or I'll go to my bag and get the handcuffs out right now," Mark said sternly. Then he smiled. "Or, would you like that?" Maybe he was overreacting, here. Maybe she was still just playing the game. Before they had gotten Robbie, they used to pretend that she was an innocent Angel that he had tied up and defiled, and she had liked it when he'd overpowered her and pretended to force her to commit certain acts.

"No, Mark. I'm not playing the game anymore," Felicia said firmly. Her body was writhing under his now, as she tried to get out from under him. But Mark was getting excited anyway. This was how the game was played, and he was starting not to care whether she was playing it or not. He continued to hold her down and maneuvered himself toward her mouth. They'd done this before, many times. He shoved himself into her mouth and pushed forward, hard. She gagged, but then her throat opened and he started moving back and forth, smiling. She was submitting, as usual. She was still writhing, but that had always been part of the game too, and it made the experience better.

But as Mark pulled out of her mouth most of the way, in preparation for a deep thrust, Felicia suddenly bit down on him, and she bit down on him hard. It was the only thing she could think of at this point to get his attention. He clearly thought that they were playing the rape game, and in a way, she couldn't blame him. They had done this sort of thing before, after all, many times. But it was starting to make her feel sick now, and she was also starting to feel a little afraid. This felt different, somehow. Mark was practically choking her now, and she wasn't able to tell him to stop. So she bit him, to get him to stop.

Mark swore loudly and pulled out of her immediately. He rolled off to the side and looked down at himself. No blood, but it hurt like a son of a bitch. Felicia scrambled off the bed, grabbing her clothes off the floor with trembling hands.

"I want a divorce," she told him. The tears that had been pooling in her eyes were starting to spill down her cheeks now.

Mark gave up. "Fine," he said to her. "Lucifer can get me any number of women. In fact, I think I'll get two at once. I was going to get you to do that with me anyway, before Robbie came. And you would have done it, too. That kid ruined everything."

Felicia's heart sank. It hurt her to think of Mark with other women. But he was right; she likely would have done it, if he'd asked her to. She'd been that much in love with him. But she disagreed with Mark about Robbie. She loved their son with all her heart and soul. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. And thank God she had him to take care of now; it would help to keep her mind off the heartbreak she was feeling.

"Robbie didn't ruin anything, Mark. You did," Felicia said sharply. And because she wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her, she said, "My friends are going to kill Lucifer, and they might just kill you, too. You're a loser, Mark. I was willing to overlook that, because you helped me break the chains that my father had on me in Heaven. But then you just put another set of chains on me, didn't you? Well, screw you, Mark. You're a loser, and you will lose."

Mark leapt off the bed and rushed at her, enraged. He put his hands around her throat and began to choke her, and this time it wasn't sexual. It was just to get her to shut the hell up. Who did she think she was? She was just some Angel bimbo that Mark had been using to provide a cover here on Earth, and she was a dirty slut, too. How dare she call him a loser?

He continued to squeeze, and Felicia's skin was starting to change colour. Her eyes were wide, and she was clawing at his hands, trying to breathe, but the room was starting to spin and she was greying out. She wanted to beg him to stop, but she couldn't even breathe. Mark was killing her. Didn't he realize he was killing her?

Mark actually did realize it, and for one white-hot moment, he didn't care. But then he thought about it. Felicia was an Angel, so it was only her vessel that he was killing. Before the body was dead, her essence could escape from it, and she could inhabit a new vessel. Then they would start the dance all over again. And while a part of him thought that it could be incredibly sexy to have her in a different form, she would still be the same uppity Angel she was now, and he didn't need the aggravation. Still, he would give her one more chance.

He took his hands off her throat. Felicia slumped to the carpet, coughing and gasping for air. Mark turned his back on her and went to the side of the bed where his overnight bag was, as Felicia continued to try to regain her breath. Eventually, she sat up and slowly started to gather her clothes again, in preparation for getting dressed.

"I'll give you one more chance to come with me, Felicia," Mark said coldly.

She looked at him, incredulous. His back was to her, so she couldn't see the expression on his face, but she had heard the tone of his voice, and it scared her. He was crazy.

"I'm going to get dressed, and then I'm going to go home to our son," she said huskily, slowly getting to her feet. "My son," she amended. "And then I'm going to get a lawyer."

Mark nodded to himself. He'd figured as much. And really, it was just as well. If she'd been sweet and submissive, as she'd always been before, she would have been welcomed into Lucifer's camp with open arms. He had even been considering loaning her to his Master. Mark knew that Lucifer had been extremely upset that Gail had slipped through his fingers, and he would have been grateful to Mark for providing him with a beautiful woman who loved to be used the way she did. Lucifer could have taken out all his pent-up frustrations on Felicia, and then passed her back to Mark. But, it was her loss. When Lucifer ruled Heaven, Felicia would be one of their slaves, when she could have been a queen. And Mark would find plenty of consolation. There were lots of females who were attracted to men in power.

He reached into his bag and got the Angel blade out. Then he turned around with the blade behind his back and walked over to her. She was swaying on her feet, still trying to get her equilibrium back, but she was staring at him defiantly.

Mark took one last look at his wife and then brought the blade out from behind his back, plunging it into her chest.

Frank couldn't wait any longer. He called over to the bunker. Sam answered the phone, and when Frank told him how long Felicia had been gone, Sam began to worry, too.

"I'll call Bobby," he told Frank. "He can do that thing they do and find out where she is."

"Thanks, Sam. I would appreciate that. Better safe than sorry," Frank said.

Sam hung up and called Bobby, letting him know what was going on. "I'll call you back," Bobby said, and then he sent out the eye.

Bobby watched in horror as Mark stabbed Felicia, and he saw her essence leave her vessel. Then Mark picked up the empty vessel and winked out of the room. Bobby tried to track him, but he couldn't see where Mark took her after that. Lucifer had had Mark shielded for quite a while, Bobby knew; it was only his panic that had made him look.

He sat there at his desk, stunned. Sam had said that Frank said she was going to a job interview. So she had either lied to Frank, or Mark had abducted her somehow. But Bobby had asked Ethan to deploy Angels from his staff to watch her house, ostensibly to prevent anything like that from happening, and he had told Felicia to call him on Angel Radio if she sensed any kind of trouble. He called Ethan and asked him who was supposed to be on duty at Felicia's house right now.

Ethan checked the roster. "Levi," he told Bobby. "Why?"

Bobby didn't want to say. He was still reeling from what he'd just seen. Poor Robbie. How were they going to handle this? He called Levi on Angel Radio and told him to get his butt up to Bobby's office right away.

"Yes, Sir?" the young Angel said when Laurel showed him in a moment later.

"Weren't you supposed to be watching Felicia?" Bobby asked him angrily.

Levi was taken aback by his tone. "I WAS watching her," he said defensively. "I saw Frank and Jody drive up, and then I saw Felicia walk to the corner and board the bus."

"Why didn't you follow her?" Bobby said sharply.

"Because Ethan told me that the young boy was the priority," Levi replied. "And since Frank and Jody are humans, I figured I'd better stay put."

"Yeah, they're humans. Two very experienced human hunters!" Bobby thundered. "And now, Felicia is dead!"

Levi turned pale. "No," he breathed.

Bobby was trying to get his temper under control. It wasn't going to do any good to yell at Levi. He was young, and he was obviously green. He'd made a judgement call, and it had turned out to be the wrong call. But there was nothing they could do about it now, and shouting was not going to bring Felicia back. Right now, their priority was Robbie.

"Report to Ethan," Bobby told him.

"I'm so sorry, Bobby," Levi said. His voice was shaky now, and it looked like he was about to start crying. Bobby restrained himself from rolling his eyes. He would have to talk to Ethan about toughening up the law enforcement recruits.

"I know, Levi. We all are. Go see Ethan," Bobby sighed. Then he sent the call to Ethan that Levi was coming. He told Ethan what had happened and suggested that Ethan might want to put Levi on stress leave for a bit. Ethan was shocked about Felicia, and he was also angry that such a thing had happened on his watch.

"I did tell him that Robbie was the more vulnerable," Ethan fumed. "But I would have thought that he would have had the good sense to realize that Frank and Jody could probably protect Robbie. He should have followed Felicia, instead. I'm awful sorry, Bobby. I haven't had a lot of time to train these guys, and I know that some of them think that all humans can't take care of themselves."

"Well, many of them can't," Bobby said, "but these aren't ordinary, run-of-the-mill humans we're talking about."

"I know that, Bobby," Ethan said, frowning. "I'll make sure to reinforce that with my guys." He paused. "What are we going to do about Robbie?"

Bobby sighed again. "I guess I'm gonna have to go down there and talk to Frank and Jody. We'll have to figure it out. I'll talk to you later, Ethan."

Then Bobby called Felicia's home phone number on his cell, and when Jody answered, he advised he was coming right down. Things were bad enough without scaring them by popping into the house all of a sudden.

Jody was alarmed. Her cop's instincts were telling her that the news was not good. She asked Bobby what was wrong, but he merely said, "I'll see you guys in a minute," and he hung up, squared his shoulders, and vanished from the office.

Castiel and Gail had gone back to the bunker to retrieve Aurielle for their meeting with Crowley back at the crossroads, and because both of them knew the code to the storage room, they didn't bother Sam or Dean, going directly there. Cas was eager to get this done, before Crowley changed his mind. He'd had quite enough of his Brother for a while, and based on Crowley's outburst of a few minutes ago, the King of Hell clearly felt the same way.

Cas and Gail entered the room, and Aurielle sat quietly, looking at them. Cas approached the chair, and Aurielle said, "Are you here to kill me, Castiel?"

He regarded her evenly. "Not necessarily," he said. "Have you had a chance to think since we last spoke?"

"Yes, I have, Castiel," she replied quietly. "And I know you have no reason to trust me, but I would like to tell you that if you show me mercy, I will leave you be."

He continued to stare at her. "It's not me that I'm concerned about," he told her. "If you will promise that you will leave Gail alone, we may be able to come to an agreement."

Cas was studying Aurielle's face very closely as her eyes shifted to Gail. Just because he was prepared to show her some compassion if she really seemed sincere didn't mean that he was gullible.

"Yes, I will leave her alone, Castiel," Aurielle said in a monotone.

Cas's temper started to rise. "You will speak to Gail directly, and you will apologize to her for all the misery you have caused her," he said angrily. "If you are not prepared to do that, and to mean it, you may stay here and rot."

Aurielle frowned, but she said, "I AM sorry, Gail. And I promise that I will leave you alone if Castiel spares my life. Please, I don't want to go back to Hell. And I realize I wouldn't be welcome in Heaven, either. But if I'm allowed to live, I can go away from here and try to make a fresh start. Please, Gail. I realize I have no right to ask you for your forgiveness, but I'm asking you for it anyway. Surely you of all people know how easy it is to fall in love with Castiel."

Gail smiled thinly. Not a bad line to end on. Was it just the Demon in Aurielle being extremely persuasive, or was she sincere? Heads, or tails? Gail looked at Cas and gave him a half-shrug. Your call, her eyes said.

Cas looked at Aurielle. "We will give you your chance, then," he said to her. "But if you cause us any more trouble, we will deliver you straight to Hell, where Crowley will be waiting for you with open arms. And he is very angry about your part in Lucifer's escape. Do you get my meaning?"

"Yes, Castiel, I understand," Aurielle said evenly. But her heart was beating faster now. Did he really mean it? Was she going to be delivered from her torment?

"We will take you to Crowley now," Castiel said, moving forward to unlock Aurielle's handcuffs. He had told her the truth, but he was phrasing it that way on purpose, just to see what Aurielle would say, or do.

Aurielle began to cry. "Please, Castiel! Please don't take me there. I'm very sorry, Gail. I mean it. I don't want to hurt anyone any more. I just want to learn to love myself. Please."

That was what Cas had wanted to hear. He and Gail exchanged glances once more, and Gail gave him a nod.

Cas looked down at Aurielle. "We will indeed be taking you to see Crowley, but only because we have negotiated with him for your deliverance from Hell. He will change you into a human, and you will live out the rest of your life here on Earth."

"Cas," Gail said to him, and he looked at her inquiringly. "Shouldn't we be asking her, not telling her?" Gail said pointedly. "That's a big step, becoming a human. It should be her choice."

Cas cursed himself. Gail was right. He wasn't used to speaking to Aurielle in such a conciliatory manner. But if this experiment was truly to be all about letting her make her own choices, she needed to make this one, first.

Aurielle was looking at Gail, astonished. She couldn't believe that Gail would chastise Castiel on Aurielle's behalf. And now, they were offering her the chance to be a human? She would be mortal, it was true, but she would no longer be a Demon. It could truly be a second chance for her. She nodded.

Castiel reached down and unlocked her handcuffs. "Is that your choice, then?" he asked her quietly.

"Yes," she said dazedly.

Cas gave Gail a nod, and she bent down to scrape the paint at the outer edge of the Devil's Trap with her Angel blade. When the paint was eroded, Cas led Aurielle out of the circle, and the three of them exited the storage room. Once they were in the hall, they winked her out of the bunker.

Bobby sat on the couch in the living room at Felicia's house. When he had gotten to the house, Robbie had greeted him enthusiastically. "Grandpa God!" Robbie had yelled, running out to the hallway. Bobby had smiled briefly as Robbie hugged his leg, but there was also a lump in his throat. Bobby could hear Felicia's voice in his head, admonishing Robbie not to call Bobby that. The boy would look up at Bobby and apologize, but the next time they saw each other, that's what Robbie would call him again, each and every time. Well, Felicia wouldn't be telling Robbie that any more, or anything else. She wouldn't be telling anybody anything, any more. How the hell had this been allowed to happen? Bobby may not technically be God any more, but the buck still stopped with him, and he blamed himself. He should never have let her move out of the bunker. But she'd wanted a normal life for Robbie, and the bunker was no place for a little kid. So Bobby had set them up here, rationalizing that it was close enough to the bunker, and he and Ethan had set up a constant watch on the house. But the truth was, Bobby had gotten complacent. They all had. There had been no sign of Lucifer, no leads, and no moves made by him since his incursion into the bunker. But that had been nearly a year ago, and now he had vanished into the wind again, after they could have had him, too. Bobby hadn't raked Cas over the coals about that, because he knew Cas felt bad enough as it was. But who the hell could have known that Reverend Devlin was Lucifer? And now, Felicia had gotten killed on Bobby's watch, and her kid was likely going to have to go into foster care because of it. What a balls-up this was.

Jody had sent Robbie upstairs to play in his room, telling him that the grownups wanted to talk for a bit, and the boy had gone obediently. Then Bobby sat Frank and Jody down, and he told them the horrible news.

They were confused. "But she was an Angel," Jody said. "How could she be murdered?"

"Mark had an Angel blade," Bobby said grimly. "When he stabbed her, I saw her essence leave her body."

"Yeah, OK, but her body was just a vessel, right?" Frank asked. He remembered Cas having explained that to him before. "So can't she just get another one?"

"It doesn't work like that, Frank," Bobby told him. "If an Angel is killed with an Angel blade, they're gone. They can only escape and inhabit a new vessel if both vessels are still living."

But Jody was still confused. "But if she was killed, won't she just end up back in Heaven?"

"No, Jody," Bobby said patiently. His heart was heavy. "She's just...gone."

Frank and Jody looked at each other in disbelief. Angels could actually die? "So, the same thing could happen to Gail? Or Cas? Or any of them?" Frank asked, astonished.

"Yeah, Frank. I thought you knew that," Bobby said simply.

"Well, I didn't," Frank said irritably. He'd often wondered why Cas was so protective of Gail; overprotective, even. Now he guessed he knew.

"What are we going to do about Robbie?" Jody asked the men.

They all sat glumly for a moment. The poor kid. How were they going to tell him? And what would happen to Robbie now?

Frank took a deep breath and then let it out. "I'll tell him his mother has passed away. He doesn't have to know the details, of course. Maybe when he gets older. Much, much older. Like, about 50."

Jody took Frank's hand and squeezed it. She knew he must be thinking about his own parents having died when he was just a young teenager. But at least they had been killed by Demons. Imagine finding out that your father had killed your mother. Mark was an absolute bastard. Maybe they should all be carrying Angel blades. If Jody ever saw Mark, he was going to be one dead Angel.

Frank gave Jody a brief smile of appreciation, then he stood, and slowly climbed the stairs. He really didn't want to do this, but Robbie needed to be told that his mother was gone so that he could begin to deal with it. Unfortunately, Frank was more than qualified to help Robbie with that. Maybe Sam and Dean too, but at least they'd had a father until they were both young adults. Robbie was still a kid, and now he had no parents. Frank had fallen in love with the little guy, and it was going to break his heart to have to hurt him like this. But it had to be done. And Frank was starting to think that there might be a way to provide some support and a sense of security for Robbie. He'd have to talk to Jody about that. But first, he had to talk to Robbie.

Robbie was sitting on his bed, but he wasn't playing, even though he had a couple of action figures in his hands. He'd been playing with them when all of a sudden, he was sure he heard his Mom's voice. She must be home now. He'd go down in a minute, just as soon as Superman and Spiderman rescued Lois Lane and saved the city. But then he heard his mother's voice again, and it didn't sound like it was coming from downstairs, it sounded like it was in his head. She was saying that she was sorry, and that she loved him. She told him to be brave and stand up to the bad guys. Robbie smiled. Of course he would. He only wished he were bigger, so he could start learning how to fight right now. He had asked Frank about that, and Frank had told him to give it a couple more years. That seemed like an eternity to Robbie, but Frank had promised him that he would train Robbie himself, so he had that to look forward to. And school would start in just over a month, so Robbie would have lots to keep him busy then. And even if he still wasn't able to make any friends his own age, that wouldn't bother him as much now, because he and his Mom had all kinds of cool new friends, both human and Angel. That would be what Robbie would think about, the next time the other kids were mean to him. In a way, it was like Robbie had his own secret identity, like Spiderman was Peter Parker in real life. And the bunker was like the Fortress of Solitude. Yeah, Robbie's life had gotten pretty interesting now.

Robbie was sitting there thinking about all of that when Frank came into his room. Gail's brother sat down beside Robbie on the bed and swallowed, hard.

"God came here to tell us something," Frank began.

Robbie looked at Frank calmly. "It's about my Mom, isn't it?"

Frank was startled. "How did you know?"

Robbie shrugged. He'd just known. Not only because he'd heard her voice just now when she clearly wasn't here, but just...because. He'd been getting these kinds of feelings off and on for a couple of years now, but he hadn't told anybody, because they would probably think it was weird. He hadn't even told his Mom. But when she had talked to him on his birthday, he'd told her he already knew that stuff, because he had. And he had a few other ideas about a few other things, too. That was how he had known that his Dad was with the bad guys now, and the head bad guy was the Devil. But what Robbie was thinking about his mother right now was so ridiculous that he couldn't wrap his head around it. It couldn't be.

Nevertheless, he said, "My Mom's not coming back, is she?"

Frank's blood ran cold. "How could you possibly know that, Robbie?" he asked again.

"I dunno," Robbie said in a low voice. "I just do." He looked down at his feet, and his eyes started to fill with tears. He knew it was OK for a guy to cry sometimes, but he still didn't want Frank to see him bawling like a baby. Robbie was pretty sure that superheroes didn't go around crying all the time.

Frank knew what Robbie was thinking. He'd been there before. Many times Frank had felt like just breaking down over the murder of his and Gail's parents, but most of his time and energy had had to be spent on just getting them the hell out of there and then getting them on the road, and he had been the one to comfort Gail when she had cried. But sometimes at night he had rolled over in his bed with his back to her and wept, making sure that Gail was asleep so she wouldn't hear him. Frank knew it was OK for a guy to cry too, and he'd certainly been entitled, but he had wanted and needed to be strong for Gail.

And now Robbie was trying to be strong, but he was losing the battle, and now so was Frank. He gathered Robbie up into his arms and said, "It's OK to cry, Robbie. Batman cried buckets when his parents died, and so did I, when mine did. So let's have a good cry together now, and we won't have to tell anybody, not even Jody. OK?"

Robbie nodded, but he couldn't talk. He wrapped his arms tight around Frank's neck, almost choking him. But Frank didn't even feel it, because his tears were choking his own throat.

They cried together for a few minutes, and then Frank gently disengaged Robbie's arms from his neck. "OK, crying time's over for now," Frank told Robbie. He wiped his eyes with his hands.

Robbie sniffled and said, "Do you have any Kleenex?"

Frank smiled tremulously. "Real men don't use tissues. That's what sleeves are for." He wiped his face with his shirt to demonstrate, and Robbie wiped his face with his own shirt, copying Frank. "Don't tell Jody I said that," Frank added furtively, and a giggle escaped Robbie. Then the boy clapped his hands over his mouth, and that reminded Frank so much of Gail that he almost felt like crying again.

"It's OK, Robbie," he said, putting his hands on the child's shoulders. "If you feel like laughing, have a laugh. Life really sucks sometimes, so if you can have a laugh, it makes things better. That's why I make all those bad jokes. Laughter helps you deal with the pain. Trust me, I know. That's why Gail and I tease each other like we do all the time. Sam and Dean, too."

"I wish I had a brother or sister, like you guys," Robbie said softly. "Then I wouldn't be all alone."

"What are you, crazy?" Frank said to him. "You're not alone. You've got all of us. We all love you, kiddo. You're never gonna be alone, I can promise you that. You're going to get so much attention you'll be begging us to leave you alone."

Robbie threw his arms around Frank's neck again and Frank hugged him, patting the child's back.

"OK, let's go see God and Jody," Frank said to Robbie. "If you give Jody the sad puppy look I taught you, I'll bet we can get some cookies and milk out of her. OK?"

Robbie nodded. "Okay, Uncle Frank." He stood up from the bed and puffed out his chest. "I'll be strong for Aunt Jody."

The lump was starting to form in Frank's throat again. This kid was going to kill him. But he'd better not start crying again, or Robbie would start again, and they'd never get out of here. And Frank had a few plans to make now.

So he took Robbie's hand, and they went downstairs.

Cas, Gail and Aurielle appeared in the alleyway of the street where the womens' shelter was located. It was a nondescript building near downtown Vancouver, but Cas knew from having been there before that it had security features. For obvious reasons, they didn't want just anyone to be able to walk into the place. And admittedly, he hadn't thought this part through. How were they going to get Aurielle inside?

He explained to Aurielle why they were there, and she looked at him, astonished. So, humans had sanctuaries set up for women who were looking to escape the brutality and oppression of males? Sign her up. Now that she was a human, she felt even more vulnerable, and if these women could offer her kindness and protection, it could be just the thing she needed to begin a new type of existence. One that didn't revolve around men, and whatever they wanted from her. She had to learn to let Castiel go. Or at least, she'd better try, or she'd never have any peace. He had become an unhealthy obsession; she realized that now. The way he looked at Gail, and the way he was with her, it was apparent to Aurielle now that he could never love anyone else. Why had she not seen that before? The answer to that was simple: she had not allowed herself to see it.

When they had taken her to the crossroads and summoned Crowley, Aurielle had been frightened. They'd said that they were going to give her another chance, but when the King of Hell had showed up with that ever-present smirk on his face, Aurielle had had her doubts. Why would they not just give her back to Crowley? She had caused the couple nothing but misery, and she had loosed the Devil upon the Earth, however unwittingly. Why should they show her any mercy?

But incredibly, Castiel had looked at Crowley and said, "Please honour our request." Then he had made a slight bow to the King, and Crowley had put his hand on Aurielle's forehead. She had closed her eyes and screwed up her face, fearing the worst. But after a moment or two, Crowley had simply removed his hand from her head and said, "There." Then he had stepped away from her.

"What are you going to do with her now?" Crowley had asked the Angels, and Gail had said, "You don't really need to know that." Crowley had given her a shrug and said, "Fair enough. Call me when you're ready, then." And then he had snapped himself back to Hell, and Castiel and Gail had brought her here.

Cas looked at Gail now. "You'll probably have to take the lead on this," he said to her. "I don't know if they'll even talk to me."

Gail nodded. She understood what he was saying. "Come on, Aurielle," she said, and the women walked around the corner to the front door of the shelter, Cas trailing behind. Gail pressed the buzzer, and when the woman came on the intercom to ask her what she wanted, Gail said, "I have a woman here who needs your help."

Carol looked at the women on the security camera. They did occasionally get women coming by who'd heard about the place one way or another and looking for their assistance, so this may very well be one of those cases. But she saw that there was a man with them, standing just behind the shorter woman. This could be a ruse that the man was using, just to get inside. She'd seen it before.

"I can't let you in," Carol said over the speaker. "If she needs our help, you'll have to go through the proper channels. If you're in legitimate need of our help, you'll know what those are."

Gail was frustrated. She understood the need for caution, but they couldn't go through any channels, due to the circumstances. What were they going to do? She looked at Cas. He had no idea, either. He took Gail's hand absently, thinking furiously.

Richard was just coming out from the area where the photocopier was; he was bringing Carol some papers to collate. He happened to look down at the TV screen, and his eyes widened. "Cas? Gail?" he said out loud.

Cas heard Richard's voice. "Richard? Is that you?" he said. "We have a woman here who needs help. Do you think we can bring her in?"

"It's OK, Carol," Richard told the receptionist. "I know them. Cas is a special friend to us. He's actually been here before."

"Oh. Well, OK, then," Carol said. "I'm buzzing you in," she said into the microphone, and she pushed the button to let them in.

When the trio approached the reception desk, Richard smiled at Cas and Gail and extended his hand for Cas to shake. "How are you, Richard?" Cas asked as they shook. "I didn't know if you'd even be speaking to me after I left town so abruptly. Again."

"Don't worry about it," Richard told him. "The writers went on strike for a while, and we weren't shooting anyway. And now, there's no more TV show."

Cas's face fell. "No? What happened?" he asked.

"Oh, that's too bad," Gail chimed in. "Did it get cancelled?"

Richard smiled. "No. The show's so popular now that they decided to make it into a movie franchise, instead. We went on hiatus, and now they're making plans to start shooting our first feature film, in a month or so. I'm just waiting for the script, and then we're going to go on location." He looked at Cas. "I don't suppose you'd be available, would you?"

Cas smiled back. "I'm afraid not, Richard. Gail and I have been very busy lately."

Richard looked down at Gail. "How are you, dear?" he asked her.

"I'm good, Richard, thank you," she told him. She looked at Aurielle. "Our friend needs help, though. Cas and I were hoping she could stay here for a while."

Aurielle looked at Gail with wide eyes. Gail had called her their friend? She couldn't believe it. The man they called Richard was looking at her now. "There's always room here for a woman who needs assistance," he said to Aurielle. "If you'll all come with me, we'll get your friend settled."

Richard led them into the common area. "Do you have any luggage?" he said to Aurielle. "Where are your things?"

Cas and Gail exchanged glances. They hadn't thought of that. It would seem strange to the humans that Aurielle had been hoping to stay there but had brought nothing with her.

"I don't have anything," Aurielle said quietly, and Richard frowned. She'd probably had to leave suddenly. He'd seen that before.

"That's all right," he told Aurielle. "We have plenty of clothes and things here, thanks to our generous benefactors." He looked at Cas. "Like this guy here. He's been by quite a few times with cash donations."

Cas was embarrassed. He hadn't told anyone about that, not even Gail. He had been going to the casino to play poker from time to time when she was gone. That was one place he had disappeared to from the bunker sometimes. When his anguish had become too much to bear, he had gone to the casino to make some money to give to the shelter. He hadn't had his full memories back then, so he hadn't been really sure why he felt such a strong connection to the place; he just did. And it was clear that they needed the help. He would take the money that he had made that day and drop the envelope into the mail chute outside the door of the shelter building, and then leave. Now, he felt like his continued atonement had shown his Father that he was worthy for Gail to return to him. "How did you know?" he asked Richard.

"Security cameras," Richard said cheerfully. "Big Brother is everywhere, Cas."

Cas looked at Gail, who was smiling at him. He wasn't really sure what older siblings would have to do with what they were talking about, but before Cas could ask, Gail threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I should have known," she said softly. Cas gave her a brief squeeze, and Richard smiled at the both of them. He was very happy to see that they were together now, and that Gail looked happy and healthy.

"What do we have here?" Valerie said. She approached them, looking at Cas and Gail, bemused. "A man and a woman, hugging and kissing? What the hell kind of a place do you think we're running here, Richard?" But she was smiling. Considering the kind of stories she'd heard here, including her own story, any sort of affection between a man and a woman was a refreshing sight.

Then Valerie realized she'd met the man before. It had been right here, as a matter of fact. She had told him her story, and he had confided in her that he had been an offender, himself. She wondered if the woman he was hugging now was his girlfriend. She must be and judging from the way the couple were behaving towards each other, it looked like she had forgiven him. Valerie couldn't see a mark on the woman, and the couple were looking at each other with such love in their eyes that there couldn't possibly be any violence there anymore. So, it was possible for some guys to change. Apparently. Too bad her husband hadn't been one of those guys. Still, this place had done wonders for Valerie. She no longer needed the constant help, but she still came here sometimes to assist with the other women who were in the same position as she had once been.

"Hello, Valerie. How are you?" Cas asked her. So he did remember her, she thought. His girlfriend was looking at them inquiringly, but Valerie figured it was up to him to fill her in. She would keep their exchange confidential. So she told Cas she was just fine, and she turned her attention to the woman who was with them.

"I'm Valerie," she said, extending her hand to Aurielle.

Aurielle was looking around curiously. She saw a number of women sitting around on mismatched couches and chairs, and some of the women had visible marks on their faces and arms. Prior to coming here, Castiel had explained the nature of this place in general terms, but she had not really realized what it would be like, and she was shocked. Did she belong here? She had no marks on her body, just on her soul.

Valerie saw her look, and she thought she recognized it. Aurielle had not taken her hand when she'd extended it to shake, so Valerie dropped her own hand now, but she continued to look at Aurielle with compassion. She remembered how overwhelmed she had felt when she'd first gotten here.

"I can help you get settled," Valerie said to Aurielle. "Don't be afraid. We're a safe place here. I'll take you to your room, and we'll go from there, OK? What's your name?"

Aurielle looked at Valerie. They didn't even know each other, but she was being so kind. Then Aurielle looked at Castiel and Gail.

"Goodbye, Aurielle," Castiel said to her. "Don't worry, they'll take good care of you here."

Aurielle felt like she was going to cry. After everything she had done, these strangers were taking her in, and Castiel and Gail were actually smiling at her. "Thank you," she said to them in a small voice, and then Valerie led her out of the room.

Castiel stared after the women, nodding. He felt good about this. If Aurielle was sincere in wanting to change, he was sure that this was the place for her to begin. She could make the acquaintance of some of these other women, and they could help her realize that there were other ways to live. And now that Aurielle was human, they would be able to provide her with food, and a bed to sleep in. And, more importantly, she would receive empathy and emotional support. Yes, he and Gail had made the right decision, he was sure of it.

"It was good to see you, Richard," Cas told his former boss. "And I'm glad that everything worked out for the show."

"Yeah, we'll definitely have to go and see the movie when it comes out," Gail said. She smiled. "Though it's too bad that you won't have the most handsome man in it." She looked at Cas. "I'd love to see that face on the big screen."

Cas smiled. "It's probably just as well," he told her. "Sam and Dean would just throw popcorn at me, anyway."

Gail laughed, and Cas extended his hand to Richard again. The men shook, and then Cas and Gail left the shelter. They walked out into the street, and she took his hand. "That was a good thing you did," she told him.

"That was a good thing WE did," he corrected her gently.

"I'm not talking about Aurielle, although I think that was a good thing, too," she said. "I'm talking about the donations you've been giving them. That's wonderful, sweetie."

He smiled. "I like it when you call me that. I've been thinking for a long time about something special to call you, but I can't think of anything that's good enough."

"That's OK," she said, answering his smile. "It'll come to you, one day."

Cas had had an idea when they had been talking about his donations, and now he suggested that they could stop by the poker room and see Barry for a bit, if she would like.

"Are you kidding?" Gail said. "I'd love to see him! It's been way too long."

They went around the corner to the alleyway and winked themselves to the blind spot outside the casino. Then they walked inside the building and took the escalator up to the poker room. But Barry wasn't there.

"Maybe he's changed shifts," Gail said, disappointed. "I guess we should have called first."

"Cas! Gail!"

They turned around to see Tommy walking towards them.

"Hi, Tommy," Cas said, and the two men hugged. Then Tommy hugged Gail. "You're looking for Barry, I assume?" he asked them.

"Yes," Cas confirmed.

"He doesn't work here in the poker room anymore," Tommy told them. "He got a promotion. They made him the manager of that shiny new hotel next door."

Cas smiled. He had noticed that they were building a hotel next to the casino when he had been playing here before, and he was happy for Barry that he'd gotten such an important job.

Gail was thrilled for Barry, too. It was kind of a shame that they wouldn't be seeing him here anymore, but she recognized what a great opportunity that was for their friend. "Is he there right now?" she asked Tommy.

"Of course he is," Tommy replied. "That's his baby now. "He's been spending almost all of his time there, getting everything ready for the grand opening. That's why I'm here now. If I want to see him, I have to come here. He's hardly ever home these days."

Cas frowned. He remembered the two of them had had problems in the past. "But are the two of you all right?" he asked Tommy.

"We're fine, Cas," Tommy told him. "Don't worry. But, it's funny. Ever since you got us back together, we've kind of reversed roles. I used to travel all over the world, looking for that big, exclusive story. The one that would make my career. But I've seen so much ugliness out there. Murders, suicide bombings. People who don't give a damn about their fellow man. I was becoming really cynical, and I wasn't a very nice guy to live with. But when I saw the two of you again, and then you brought me back to Barry, Cas, I realized something. A career is just a job. It's love that lasts. So Barry and I agreed that we were each other's priority, and I started spending a lot more time at home. But now he's got this new job, and it's such a great opportunity for him that I don't really want to say anything. I'm just hoping that once the place opens, we can spend a bit more time together."

"Don't get discouraged, Tommy," Cas told him. He took Gail's hand. "We've had our challenges too, but true love always finds a way."

Tommy smiled. "It's good to know we can always count on the two of you," he said to them. "It seems like every time either me or Barry have a crisis of faith, you guys show up." He took his cell phone out of his pocket. "Let me call him for you."

Tommy called Barry's cell and told his boyfriend that Cas and Gail were there, then he extended the phone to the couple. "He's freaking out. Here, one of you needs to talk to him."

Cas took the phone from Tommy's hand and he put his other hand up, signaling to Gail to give him a moment. Then he walked a short distance away from Tommy and Gail. He didn't want Gail to hear what he had to say to Barry now.

After they'd concluded their conversation, Cas came back to where Gail and Tommy were standing and handed Tommy the phone. "He wants to speak with you," Cas told him. Then Cas took Gail by the hand and steered her away from Tommy.

"Barry wants you to go over and see the hotel," Cas told her. "I'll stay here and play some poker, and you can have a nice visit with Barry. He's excited about showing you the place."

"OK, Cas," she said, smiling. She touched his face. "You go make some more money for the shelter, and I'll see you in a little bit."

Cas smiled down at her. He was planning to make some money here, but this time, and this time only, it wouldn't be for the shelter. He wasn't going to tell Gail that, though. Instead, he put his arms around her and kissed her.

"No wonder you guys are such a shining example," Tommy said. He had hung up the phone. Barry had told him about Cas's plan, and Tommy had said that he would help, of course. He was smiling at the couple now. Cas sure had a sense of romance about him, Tommy thought. Gail was a lucky woman. Maybe if Tommy could tear Barry away from his new job for a while, they could be romantic, too. But right now, Tommy had his part to play in Cas's deception of Gail, but it was for a very good cause.

"I think I'll stick around here and play poker with you for a while, Cas," Tommy said. "Barry told me you're really good. I believe I'll have to see that for myself."

"OK, I'll leave you guys to it," Gail said.

"Barry'll be waiting for you in the lobby of the hotel," Tommy told her. He put a hand on Cas's shoulder. "Come on, Cas. Let's play."

Gail gave Cas's hand a squeeze, and then she left the poker room. Cas looked at Tommy. "So, did Barry tell you what I have in mind?" Cas asked him.

Tommy smiled. "Yes, and I think it's fantastic. We'd better get playing, then."

While Cas and Tommy were playing poker, trying to make as much money as possible in the time that they had, and Barry was proudly showing Gail around the hotel, Frank and Jody were sitting at Felicia's kitchen table, talking quietly.

Bobby had taken Robbie to the bunker after calling Sam and telling him the grim news. Then Bobby had sent out a call to Chuck on Angel Radio, asking him to bring the other designated Angels down to the bunker to await his arrival. Bobby wanted as many friendly faces there as possible to greet Robbie. Frank had told Bobby that he wanted to speak with Jody alone, anyway. Then, when they finished their private conversation, they would drive back to the bunker to join the group there.

Jody had made a pot of tea, and she and Frank sat glumly with their mugs in their hands, talking about the situation.

"You know what we have to do now," Jody said to Frank. "If we don't want him in the system, we'll have to take him in."

"He can't go into the system, Jody. We can't do that to the poor kid. He's been through enough," Frank said to her.

"I'm not arguing, Frank. I agree with you. But the bunker is no place for a child. Sam and Dean are great guys, but they're not the best role models for a kid of that age," Jody said, smiling wryly.

"Then why don't WE take him? You and I?" Frank said to her.

Jody looked at him. "Are you sure, Frank? That's a lot of responsibility, you know."

"I know," Frank replied, nodding. "I practically raised Gail, remember? And I was a lot younger, then. The question is, how do YOU feel about it?" He gave her a brief grin. "You've already agreed to live with one boy; how do you feel about adding one more?"

"Well, you two are at about the same maturity level," Jody quipped. "I think that would be great, Frank. We could give him a real home. And we'll figure things out, from then on. Maybe if we need to go out on the road, we can get some Angels to babysit, or something. We'll work it out, Frank. The main thing is to try to give him some sense of stability."

Frank smiled and took her hand. No wonder he loved Jody. She talked tough, but she had a big heart. He was glad she wasn't all mushy about it, though. That wasn't Frank's way. He loved Jody with everything he had, but they had a different way of relating to each other than, say, Cas and Gail did. If he talked to Jody the way that Cas talked to Gail, she would probably laugh right in his face. But Frank knew she loved him just as much as he loved her. And now that they were going to be raising Robbie together, he wanted to make the commitment.

"So, what do you say?" he asked Jody. "You wanna?"

Jody looked at him suspiciously. "Wanna what?" she retorted.

"Get married," Frank said casually, but his heart was beating faster now.

Jody's eyebrows raised. "Really?" she said, surprised.

"Yeah," Frank said to her. "If we're gonna raise a kid together, we should be legitimate, don't you think? We'd be setting a bad example if we just lived in sin. What would God and all those Angels say?"

Jody was grinning now. "Probably not too much, considering that Cas and Gail have been living together for about three years," she replied. She leaned back in her chair. "And speaking of them, I'll bet if he proposed to your sister, he would do it a little bit more eloquently than 'you wanna'?"

Frank smirked. "Well then, get Cas to marry you," he said smugly.

"Hey, your sister killed you once; you want her to kill me, too?" Jody shot back.

They both laughed, and then Jody's expression grew serious. "I'd love to, Frank," she said softly.

"Good," Frank replied, letting out the breath he'd been holding. "Great. I really do love you, Jody. Even if I don't talk all mushy, like Cas does. I hope you know that."

"I know that, Frank," she told him. "And I love you, too. And don't worry about it. If you talked to me like Cas talks to Gail, I'd probably laugh right in your face."

They both laughed again, and Frank rose from the table. "Let's go to the bunker and tell everybody the news," he said to her. Jody stood too, and she put her arms around Frank and kissed him.

"I love you so much, Frank," Jody told him. "I probably don't say that enough."

"Stop it, or you'll make me puke," Frank said, but he was still grinning. "But for the record, I love you very much too, Jodes. Now, let us never speak of this again."

She laughed and punched him on the shoulder. "I don't know how Gail put up with you all those years," she joked.

Frank leaned forward and spoke into her ear. "Between you and me, I think she rolled herself off the truck that night just to get away from me."

Jody laughed until she cried. Frank. She had never met anyone like him. He was both serious and irreverent, frequently at the same time, and she had never loved a guy more in her entire life.

"Let's get going, then," she said to him. "We have the world's least romantic wedding to plan."


	2. Love Changes Everything

Chapter 2 - Love Changes Everything

Gail strode into the poker room, with Barry trailing behind her. Fortunately, Barry had called ahead to Tommy on his cell phone, so Cas and Tommy had known she was coming. Otherwise, she might have caught them unawares.

Cas stood from the table as she approached. "Did you and Barry have a nice visit?" Cas asked her.

Gail glanced back at Barry, who stood there, looking innocent. "It was great to see him, and the hotel is beautiful, but he kept getting phone call after phone call," she complained.

Barry shrugged. "What can I tell you? There's a lot to take care of, with such a big hotel about to open," he said.

"Well, in any event, why don't you cash out and come see it?" Gail said to Cas. "Barry wants to show us the fanciest suite in the place. He says the view is well worth it."

Cas smiled. He remembered how he had loved the view from the apartment they'd had when they'd first gotten here. The rent had been expensive, but the view of the mountains and the harbour had been worth every penny. But then he remembered that he was supposed to be acting disappointed, so he stopped smiling.

"I don't have anything to cash out today," he told Gail. "I lost."

She was surprised. "You lost?"

Cas nodded. "Yes, I lost." He moved around her and gave Barry a big hug in greeting. Cas felt strange about lying to Gail, even though it was a very innocent lie in support of a very good cause, and he was finding it hard to look her in the eyes.

Gail looked at Tommy. "He lost?" she asked Barry's boyfriend, who had also left the poker table.

Tommy shrugged. "Hey, it happens. I lost, too," he told her.

Gail supposed he was right, but she'd never known Cas to lose at poker before, and he'd played loads of times. Oh well, she guessed it was bound to happen eventually. Law of averages, and all that. It was no big deal, really; it was just a shame that the shelter wouldn't be getting another donation today.

Tommy embraced Barry. "How's it going over there?"

Barry gave him a squeeze, rolling his eyes. "Busy, as usual." He looked at Cas and Gail. "Come on, you two. I'll show you the best suite in the house, and then I'll have to get back to work." He looked at Tommy. "Are you coming, too?"

"No, I should get back to work, too," Tommy said to him. "I'm going to go to the office and check the wire. If nothing major has come in, I'll go home and get some housework done. The place isn't going to dust itself. Can I expect you home, oh, I don't know, this week sometime?" Tommy asked Barry, with a touch of sarcasm.

"I'll be home as soon as I can," Barry told his boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Gloria preferred him and Tommy to keep their public displays of affection to a minimum in the poker room, and he supposed he understood that, although it was unfair, in a way. Cas and Gail could stand right in the middle of the room making out, and nobody would bat an eyelash. But if Barry gave his loved one even a quick peck on the lips, everybody freaked out. He sighed. Society had come along a bit, but there were definitely further strides to be made.

"OK, let's go, then," Barry told Cas and Gail. They said goodbye to Tommy and left the poker room.

As soon as he was sure they had gone, Tommy returned to the poker table he and Cas had just been playing at and said, "Cashing out for me and Cas." He grabbed the racks of chips that he and Cas had won and took them to the cash cage. When he got the sheaf of bills from the cashier, Tommy stashed the money in his pants pocket. This should be more than enough for what Cas had in mind.

Meanwhile, Barry took Cas and Gail to the room in the hotel he'd wanted them to see. He opened the door and showed them into the suite, and while Gail thought it was nice enough, she didn't see anything special about it. But then Barry drew open the drapes, and she and Cas gasped. The view was spectacular. The window was a huge picture window with a sliding balcony door which led out onto a small terrace, and the vista was amazing. Mountains, tall city buildings, and the harbourfront. Wow, Gail thought. Just...wow.

As Cas stared out the window, entranced, Gail turned to look at Barry, who was smiling. "Just out of curiosity, how much would this room cost for the night?" she asked her friend.

"More than any of us could afford," Barry quipped.

Gail nodded. "I can just imagine," she said. She turned back to look at the view again, and then Barry said, "But for you guys, it's free."

Cas's brow furrowed, and he turned around to look at their friend. Barry was standing there grinning, and he had two key cards in his hand.

"Until we open and we need this room for a head of state or a movie star, it's yours," Barry said to them. He handed the key cards to Cas. "I know the two of you need a place to stay," Barry said, looking at Gail. "Cas told me what the situation is at the bunker. You must need some privacy from time to time," Barry continued. "You can use this room until you get your own place." He looked at Cas and smiled. Based on what Cas had told Barry earlier on the phone, he was sure that wouldn't be too long from now. But Barry had wanted to do something for his friends in the meantime. They couldn't do what couples naturally wanted to do sometimes with all of those people running around in the bunker all the time. Barry knew all about that. Even though he hadn't been spending nearly as much time with Tommy as he'd like, Barry thought that if they didn't have their own place, he would go nuts. Even if it was more socially acceptable for Cas and Gail to be affectionate with each other in public than it was for Barry and Tommy to be, that didn't mean that they didn't need a place where they could be free to be truly intimate with one another. Tommy and Barry had that. When Barry finally got home from work, he could pour a glass of wine and kiss his boyfriend at the kitchen stove. They could use their tongues when they kissed and touch each other intimately in the privacy of their own home. That was the way it should be with couples.

Cas hugged Barry and accepted the key cards from him, putting them in his jacket pocket. Gail kissed Barry on the cheek, thanking him.

Barry waved off her thanks. "Forget it," he said, still smiling. "Now that I'm a big shot, I can do things for my friends. Just make sure you guys put in a good word for me and Tommy with the man upstairs."

"The hotel has a higher floor?" Cas quipped, and both Barry and Gail laughed.

Then Barry's cell phone rang, and he excused himself, pleading more hotel business. He told them he wouldn't be able to see them again today, but he hoped to again, soon. Then he left them alone.

Gail looked at Cas, and then she turned back to stare at the view again. She couldn't believe it. They could bring two chairs here from the bunker and just sit there in them and stare at this view, all day long.

Cas put his arms around her waist from behind and he held her as they looked out at the astonishing view together. Gail smiled and said, "Isn't this something?"

"It certainly is," Cas said softly.

"And just think, we're the first ones to ever be here to see it," Gail continued.

"Yes, that's right," Cas agreed. "And it will be nice for us to get away from the hustle and bustle of the bunker sometimes."

"You heard Barry, though; we can't stay here indefinitely," she said.

"We'll work something out very shortly in regards to a place to live," Cas replied. He was smiling broadly now. She had no idea. His arms tightened around her. "But until then, we'll just enjoy being here for as long as we're able."

"I hope the bed's comfortable," Gail said. "I know we don't sleep, but we may want to cuddle and watch TV sometime when we're not here, glued to the view."

"Yes, we may," Cas said agreeably. He kissed her cheek softly. "I'm sure it will be fine."

They continued to look at the view for a few more minutes. Darn, Gail thought. He hadn't taken the hint. Well, she guessed you couldn't win them all. Cas had even lost at poker today.

But Cas HAD taken the hint; he'd just wanted to take it slow. He had recently been reminded of how rough and aggressive he had been with Gail when he'd been a Demon, and Cas didn't want anything he did to be a reminder of that dark time. Still, she had subtly given him the green light by saying what she had said, so he supposed he could proceed, if he did so carefully.

Cas took Gail's hand and turned her towards him. Then he bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. Her arms went around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. She opened her mouth and gave him her tongue, and his tongue danced with hers for a while.

His hands slipped under her top and he caressed her back as they continued to kiss. Gail had moved her hands, wrapping her arms around his waist, and she was caressing his back, too. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest, and Gail could feel that he was getting excited.

He was trying to keep himself calm as he slowly pulled her top off over her head and dropped it on the floor. Then he unbuttoned his shirt, because he wanted to feel her skin against his. But he left her bra alone for the moment. Cas touched Gail's face with both hands and gently pulled her face towards his for another kiss. His tongue traced her lips as his hands grazed her breasts through her bra. Then he lightly caressed her stomach, and his hand moved down to touch her between her legs through her pants.

He was making Gail crazy. She moved forward and pressed her body against his, grabbing the back of his head and bringing his face closer to hers. She met his tongue with hers, and he undid her bra in the back and slid it off of her. He touched her breasts with his fingertips, and she made a sound in her throat.

Gail was so excited now that she was trembling. She appreciated Cas's gentleness, and she knew him well enough by now to know why he was being so restrained. But this was getting a little ridiculous. She reached down and touched him through his pants, moving her fingers up and down, and she darted her tongue in and out of his mouth. See if that could get him to hurry things along a bit.

It was working. Cas wrapped his arms tightly around her and pushed his tongue into her mouth, making sure hers wouldn't escape, and he was rubbing himself against her body now. Then he took her hand and led her over to the bed. He laid her down and took the rest of their clothes off. He'd wanted to take his time, but he was too excited now. Still, Gail came first, as always.

So he moved down her body and kissed the insides of her thighs, gently pulling her legs apart. Then he licked her thighs up and down, first one, then the other.

"Cas, please," Gail said, and he moved to her immediately. As soon as his tongue touched her, her body jumped. Cas pulled her towards him and sped up his tongue, and she started to cry out.

When she was still, he moved on top of her and slid slowly into her. Gail embraced him tightly and wrapped her legs around his waist, and Cas lifted her upper body to meet his so that he could kiss her on the mouth. He was still moving in and out of her slowly, but Gail knew that he wanted to go faster; he was just reluctant to do so, for fear of hurting her. So she licked his ear and told him that she needed him to push harder. He laid her back down and started to move faster, telling her that he loved her, asking her if it was OK for him to be doing this. Gail smiled. He was being very sweet, but he didn't need to be this hesitant.

"I love you, Cas," she told him. "Please, don't worry about it. I need you to be yourself. Don't be afraid. Just feel what you feel."

Then she pulled him down on top of her and caressed his body, licking his face, and his ear. She squeezed the muscles in his back, and as he sped up again, she moved the muscles in her intimate area in such a way that he gasped out loud, and he began to push harder, moaning loudly. Gail spoke softly in his ear, encouraging him. What he was doing felt good to her too, and she wanted him to feel free to be himself. She told him again that she loved him, and that he was making her feel good. He moaned again, and then he was still.

Cas lay there a moment, breathing hard, and then he raised himself up to look at her. "So that was all right? It wasn't too aggressive, and it didn't hurt you?"

"No, Cas. It felt good," Gail assured him. She kissed his face, again and again. "Don't worry so much. I love it when you make love to me, however you make love to me. It's all good, because it's all love."

His mouth came down on hers, and he opened her lips with his tongue. They kissed like that for a while, and he kept telling her how much he loved her. Then she would tell him how much she loved him, and then he would kiss her like that again. After a while, he started to kiss and lick her neck, and then her breasts. His tongue was everywhere, and so were his lips, and his hands. Gail laid back and enjoyed him making love to her for a few minutes, and then she murmured, "Come here, Cas, please."

He raised his body up to kiss her, but she shook her head and gestured. "No, I meant, come here." She had noticed that he was already excited again, and Gail wanted to make him feel like he always made her feel, for a change. He looked at her puzzled. She couldn't be suggesting what it seemed like she was suggesting.

But she was. "Cas, please. "Come here," she insisted once more. So he raised his body up and positioned himself in front of her mouth as she had been requesting, and she began to kiss him there. Then she touched him delicately with her fingertips and licked him up and down, and then, when he began to whimper, she took him in her mouth. He started to move, and he closed his eyes as she made love to him, giving himself over to the feeling. He couldn't believe she was doing this. How could she be making him feel so wonderful? He opened his eyes, looking down at her, and the wave of love he felt for her washed through his whole body. He cried out her name as the warm rush flowed through him, and he had to hold on to the headboard of the bed so he didn't fall on top of her.

After a moment, Cas laid down beside her, and she saw that he was crying and smiling at the same time. He touched her face with both hands. "I never thought..." He swallowed, then tried again. "I never thought I could ever love someone so much," he told her. "You are my sun, and my moon, and my whole reason for existing. I could speak to you for the rest of my days and never be able to come up with the right words to tell you how much I love you, and how much you mean to me."

"You're doing a pretty fine job of it right now," Gail quipped, smiling.

Cas kissed her gently on the lips and began to caress her skin again. "Give me a moment to catch my breath, and I'll attempt to show you," he said softly.

"It's OK, Cas," she said. "I wanted to show YOU how much I love YOU. I know why you were so hesitant earlier, and why you're so reluctant for me to reciprocate. But you're different now, and so am I, and so are we."

He stopped caressing her, and his expression grew serious. "When I read about what I became, and what I did to you because of it, and when I saw those women at the shelter, I just..." His voice broke. "I don't ever want you to think that's who I am. That that's what I'm like. I will never hurt you again, Gail. I would kill myself before I would let that happen. I love you more than anything, and I will always cherish you, and honour you." He started to cry again.

Gail touched his face, wiping the tears away from his cheeks with her thumbs. "I know that's not who you are, Cas. That's why I came back to you, and why I never want to be apart from you ever again. When I heard that you've been donating money to the shelter all this time, and I saw those women there, and the marks on some of them, I realized how lucky I am that we never gave up on each other. You never gave up on me, even when I was pushing you away with both hands. And it was so worth it, in the end. I couldn't ask for a better man to love, and to love me."

Cas smiled. "I could never have given up on you, Gail. You're my person."

"You're my person, too, Cas," she said, returning his smile. That was one of her favourite expressions. It basically said it all, as far as Gail was concerned. Once you had given all of yourself to your person, body, mind and heart, as she and Cas had done with each other, you knew that you could never give up on them, no matter what. That was why she had pursued the cure as doggedly as she had. And now she could see that all the heartache and pain she had been through had almost been worth it, in a strange way. They had both suffered, but they had also grown leaps and bounds as individuals, and she knew now that their relationship could never be broken.

Gail kissed him softly on the lips, but he was still staring into her eyes, and his eyes were still misty. "I need to tell you that I'm sorry just one more time, Gail, and I need to hear you say that you have truly forgiven me. And if you haven't, I need for you to tell me that, too. Please, it's very important to me."

Cas was anxious to start their new life together, and he had already set the wheels in motion, but he needed to hear it from her just one more time before he could proceed. If she could tell him that, and truly feel it, he would be able to ask her to make the sacred commitment with a clear conscience.

Gail touched his face again. They had been through this before, quite a few times, it felt like. But she could sense that this time was different somehow. "I've forgiven you, Cas," she told him. "I honestly have. So please don't cry any more. Let's just agree that it's in the past, and then look forward to our future. OK? We've already done something wonderful together today." Then she smiled mischievously. "Well, besides this, I mean. We used a different approach, and we helped Aurielle start a brand new life. So, to me, that proves something. It proves that you were led to that shelter for a reason, and it also proves to me that we're on the right path now."

Castiel continued to look at her. He was stunned by her kindness, and her insight. He would never doubt his Father again; after all, it was his Father who had brought her to Castiel in the first place. But he would never again take his relationship with her for granted, either. Because it might have been God who had brought them together to begin with, but it was Gail who'd decided that she was going to stay.

He took her in his arms and held her tightly, squeezing the last of the tears out of his eyes. He swallowed hard to clear the lump in his throat, and then he said, "You're right, my love. You're right about everything, As usual."

Gail smiled, and she pulled out of the embrace. "That's it!" she said to him.

"What's it?" he asked, curious.

"That's my term of endearment. You called me 'my love'. I liked that." Then she grinned. "But maybe let's use it sparingly. Otherwise, everybody will tease us to death about it."

Cas smiled. "I don't care. Do you care?"

She pretended to think about that. "No," she told him, finally. "No, I don't, actually."

They laughed together, and Cas kissed her on the mouth. Then he kissed her again, a long, slow kiss. She opened her mouth and gave him her tongue, and he began to caress her again.

"Let's make love once more, and then we'll go back to the bunker. Okay?" Cas asked her softly.

Gail smiled. "Maybe twice?" she said, and they both laughed again.

Frank and Jody had returned to the bunker, and they were sitting at the library table hand in hand, waiting for Cas and Gail. Everyone had gathered around the table and they'd been making small talk, but no one knew where the Angel couple had gone, and Bobby had grown tired of waiting for them. He called Cas on Angel Radio, and Cas said they'd be there in just a minute.

Sure enough, they popped in about five minutes later, holding hands and smiling. But their smiles disappeared when Bobby told them the news about Felicia.

Cas was angry now. How could this have happened? "Didn't you tell me that she and Robbie had Angels guarding them?" he said to Bobby.

"One of my recruits dropped the ball, Cas," Ethan told him, frowning.

Cas looked at him, frustrated, and Ethan misunderstood his look. "It means - " Ethan started to say, but Cas interrupted him. "I know what it means, Ethan! But what good are guards if they can't protect the innocent?"

Ethan's frown deepened. "He made a mistake, Cas. The poor guy feels terrible about it, as we all do. We'll just have to train our recruits more thoroughly in the future." Then his tone grew a little sharper as he said, "Maybe you could help with that, Cas. You have to remember, a lot of these guys are new to being Angels, and not all of them have backgrounds in law enforcement. When we dismissed Jason's men, we had to rebuild the force from the ground up. Maybe you want to spend a bit more time helping me train the new staff, and a little less time on Earthly pursuits."

Chuck winced. This was not going to be pretty. It looked like Cas was about to blow a gasket, but then unexpectedly, Gail said, "Ethan's right, Cas. They could use your expertise. If you want them properly trained, maybe you should go up there and train them yourself, like you did with all of these guys." She waved her hand around the table, indicating all the designated Angels.

Seeing an opportunity to help his friend escape Cas's wrath, Chuck added, "I could help too, if you want. I want to stay sharp."

Cas closed his mouth with a snap. He had just been about to tear a strip off Ethan, but he realized now that his Angel friends were right, and so was Gail, of course. It was very easy for him to stand here and criticize, wasn't it? Jason's staff had been cruel and corrupt, like their leader, and Bobby and Ethan had had to do a complete overhaul of the department. But as a result, many of the new officers were very young and very green, and the only way to make them better was to provide the proper training. If Ethan needed help in that regard, Cas needed to step up and provide it.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. You're right," he said. Then he squeezed Gail's hand in appreciation. Cas looked around then. "Where's Robbie? How's he doing?"

"Becky took him into the kitchen to get him a snack," Bobby said. "Frank and Jody have something they wanted to tell all of us. They've been waiting for you two to get here. Where were you?"

Cas and Gail exchanged quick glances. "We had to deal with Aurielle," Gail said to Bobby. "It's a long story."

He stared at them for a moment. It was lucky he could no longer read her thoughts, because Gail was feeling pretty guilty at this point. Of course, even if they hadn't taken their personal time, there still wouldn't have been anything they could have done to prevent Felicia's murder. She squeezed Cas's hand for reassurance, hoping he wouldn't blame himself for what had happened to Felicia. He always took everything on himself, but this was not his fault.

But apparently, Cas realized that too, because he squeezed her hand in return and then he looked at Frank and Jody. "So, how IS Robbie?" he asked them. "Does he know?"

"Yeah, I told him," Frank said. "And he's OK, considering. But that's why Jody and I were waiting for you guys to get here. I figured Gail might be pissed off if we went ahead and got married without her knowing about it."

Gail's mouth dropped open. "You and Jody?" she exclaimed.

"No, me and Chuck," Frank said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, I knew there was something about me I forgot to tell you," Chuck chimed in, playing along.

Gail squealed and dropped Cas's hand. She ran over to where Frank and Jody were sitting and grabbed Frank by his head, planting a big smack on his cheek. Then she kissed Jody, too.

Jody looked at Frank. "Wow. The first kiss I get since your alleged proposal, and it comes from your sister," she quipped. But she smiled up at Gail. "Seriously, Frank and I told Bobby that we would take Robbie, and then Frank decided to make an honest woman out of me, as the expression goes. And we couldn't be happier about it, even though we're sad as hell about Felicia."

Frank put his arm around Gail's waist, and he looked at Cas. "And we were hoping that the two of you would stand up for us."

Cas rushed over to Frank and Frank stood from his chair, anticipating him. Sure enough, Cas launched himself at Frank and wrapped him in a big bear hug. Frank had to let go of Gail and grab on to Cas so he didn't get knocked over. Then Cas pulled Jody to her feet and hugged her, too.

Gail took a couple of steps back, enjoying the look on her brother's face as Cas hugged him, and then the look on Jody's face as the process was repeated.

Jody gently extricated herself from Cas's embrace and smirked at Frank. "These two are making you look bad, you know that, right?" she teased him.

Frank rolled his eyes, but he was grinning now, too. "All right, all right. Look away for a minute, will you, Bobby?" Frank said.

Bobby was still stewing about Felicia, but he favoured Frank with a beard twitch. "After three years of Cas and Gail, I don't think you and Jody are gonna do anything I haven't seen before," he quipped, and everyone in the room laughed. Frank grabbed Jody around the waist and gave her a long, slow kiss as the group applauded and cheered.

Cas was ecstatic for Frank and Jody, but a small part of him was also disappointed. Now his own plans were going to have to be delayed for a bit. But he couldn't be selfish now. Little Robbie was the priority. He had suffered the loss of both of his parents, and at a very tender age. He needed to be taken care of, and to have a home. Cas was extremely pleased that Frank and Jody would be taking Robbie in, and he was positively thrilled that Gail's brother had now found the kind of love that Cas had been lucky enough to find with Gail. Even if Frank and Jody expressed their love quite a bit differently than himself and Gail, Cas could tell that it was no less true.

"Uncle Cas! Aunt Gail!" Robbie yelled from the hallway. He came running into the room and attached himself to Cas's leg. Becky trailed behind, shaking her head slowly. She'd been looking through the kitchen to try to find a snack for the young boy, but he had become restless and before she could scare anything up, Robbie had run out here when he'd heard their voices.

Cas looked down at Robbie, tousling his hair. "How are you?" he asked the boy, because he didn't know what else to say.

Robbie made a face. "I'm OK, I guess. I'm sad about my Mom, but Uncle Frank and Aunt Jody told me they're going to move into our house and take care of me."

Sam's eyebrows raised, and Jody told him, "Yeah, that's the other part of our news. We were going to get our own place anyway, and it just made sense for us to move in there."

Robbie moved to Gail, and she bent down to give him a hug. "There's going to be a wedding," she told the boy. "How would you like to be a ring bearer?"

"A ring bear?" Robbie asked her, confused. "What's that?"

The adults laughed, and Gail looked at Frank and quipped, "I suppose he could wear a furry little costume."

But Frank was shaking his head. "Ring bearer? No, we were just going to go down to City Hall and do it there, quick. You and Cas can come down there and stand with us. We'll be done in 15 minutes."

"Stand where?" Cas said. He couldn't help it. He thought he knew what Frank meant, but he wasn't sure. They were asking Gail and himself to be witnesses to their marriage, weren't they? Although he was very flattered by that, the reference to City Hall bothered him. He frowned at Frank and Jody. "Aren't you going to have a wedding?"

"If you mean some big, splashy ceremony, you can forget it," Frank replied. "That's not us, Cas." Maybe more like you, he was thinking. Although maybe not; if Cas and his sister were going to do that, wouldn't they have done it by now? Maybe it was different for Angels, he didn't know.

"But don't you want to celebrate your union with all of your family and friends there?" Cas asked, astonished. He looked at Gail. He couldn't fathom not wanting everyone to be present for the most important moment of their lives.

Frank shrugged, but Sam could see Cas's distress and, truthfully, Sam was starting to feel a little cheated now, too. He and Bobby and Dean had known Jody for years, and Sam never thought he would ever see her this happy again. He wanted to see her get married.

"Why don't you guys do it here?" Sam blurted out. Everyone turned their heads to look at him, and he continued, "We can set up some chairs out back, and you can get married out there. The weather's been great lately. We can get a minister, Jody can invite some of her cop friends, and we'll all be there, too. We can even have a reception afterwards, if you want."

Cas smiled. Now, they were talking. He looked at Dean, and so did Frank, as if anticipating an objection. "What?" Dean said, seeing the looks on their faces. "I think it's a fantastic idea. If Frank wants to tie himself down for the rest of his life, and Jody's willing to put up with such a pathetic loser, who am I to stand in their way?" Dean grinned. "Seriously, I think it's be great," he enthused. "And this is actually the perfect place to have the party. We have never-ending liquor bottles."

Cas looked at Frank and Jody. "There. It's settled," he told them.

"We'll take care of all the arrangements," Gail added. "Just give us a couple of days to pull it together."

Frank looked at Jody. "What do you think?" he asked her.

Truth be known, Jody thought that it was an excellent idea. She hadn't been too wild about doing it at City Hall, anyway. It might be her second wedding, but it was Frank's first and hopefully only, and Jody had thought they could make a little bit more of a celebration out of it. So she said: "Let's do it."

A couple of days later, the plans had all been made, and Frank and Jody were in separate rooms at the bunker, getting ready.

All of the Angels in their little group had come down from Heaven, and Gail had dusted off her supervisory skills to ask them all to set up the chairs outside. She got the men to set up the tables to the side, where cold drinks and snacks were to be served, and she'd had Cas conjure up some flower arrangements to put on the tables.

Bobby showed up looking slightly uncomfortable in a dark suit, and he had Patricia with him. Gail was trying to keep herself from smirking at the idea of God bringing a date to a wedding. She knew that Bobby was not technically God any more, but she also knew that as far as everyone else was concerned, he was. And she certainly wasn't about to correct that notion.

Cas had asked Bobby a couple of days ago if he would officiate, but Bobby had declined. "I'm not God any more, Cas, remember?" Bobby had said quietly.

"I know, Bobby," Cas had replied, "but you're still the closest thing we have right now, and I think it would mean a lot to them to have you do it."

"Do what?" Jody had said, approaching the men.

"Perform the ceremony," Cas had told her, and Jody had brightened.

"That's a great idea," she said, but Bobby was shaking his head.

"I don't wanna do that, Jody," Bobby told her.

Jody frowned. She and Bobby went way back. "Why not, Bobby?" she asked him.

Bobby gave Cas a brief glare. Thanks, Cas. He still wasn't prepared to tell anyone else he wasn't God yet.

"'Cause I never got over you, Jody," Bobby half-joked. "Maybe I don't want to marry you off to another guy."

Jody rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Yeah, right. You just want to get drunk, like the other guys."

"Yeah, that's it," Bobby confirmed.

So Cas had sent Sam and Dean to find a minister, and they had been able to come up with one who wasn't too objectionable. Cas was going to be Frank's Best Man and Gail, Jody's Maid of Honour, as per the original plan. But then, things had gotten a little out of hand. Becky had wanted to be a bridesmaid, and she had been so vocal about it that Jody had finally acquiesced and designated her as one, but then Jody had had to ask Linda to be one as well, in order to avoid any potential hurt feelings. That then prompted Frank to designate Chuck, Kevin and Ethan as ushers, and then he had felt really bad about not including Sam and Dean, so then Frank had designated them as ushers, as well. And ushers needed somebody to "ush", as Frank had quipped, and Jody had been thinking about inviting some of her colleagues anyway, so the list of attendees had grown exponentially, with the addition of the cops and sheriffs, and their various spouses.

The morning of the wedding, Gail was in the library area, teasing Sam and Dean about wearing their fake FBI suits.

"You'd better watch out, you guys," she told them. "There'll be a lot of cops out there. You don't want to get busted for impersonation."

Becky and Linda came down the stairs from outside. "The chairs are all set up," they told Gail.

"Thanks, ladies," she said, and then she added, "You both look lovely. Don't they look lovely, you guys?" she prompted Sam and Dean.

"Yeah," Sam said hastily, and Dean quipped, "Jody's Angels."

Linda gave him a baleful look. "Watch it Dean, or I'll shove this bouquet right in your - "

"Mom!" Kevin exclaimed, half shocked, and half impressed.

She looked at him, lips twitching. "What? I was going to say 'in your big mouth'."

Dean looked at Linda, then did one of his famous double-takes. He'd better not say anything else, though; Linda looked like she was ready to kick some ass right now. Becky looked so happy with her dress and her flowers, you would have thought that she was the one who was getting married, but Linda looked uncomfortable in her dress. He guessed not every female enjoyed getting dressed up and wearing high heels. Dean felt the same way, on the male side of things. He couldn't wait to get this monkey suit off and get to the good part; partying it up at the reception.

Gail was smirking at him, as if she could tell how uncomfortable he was. This was all her and Cas's fault, Dean thought. Frank and Jody had been all ready just to go to City Hall, no muss, no fuss, and then Mr. and Mrs. Romance had stepped in and conspired with Sam and the Angels, and now they had a full-blown "event" on their hands.

"What are you looking at?" he groused at Gail.

"You," she retorted. "Just wondering what song I'm going to pick for you to dance with me at the reception."

"Music?" Dean said, startled. "You're gonna have music?"

"Of course we'e going to have music," Gail shot back. "You can't have a reception without music and dancing."

"I don't dance," Dean said archly.

"Today, you do," Gail said cheerfully.

"Well, it better not be any of that crap that you and Sam listen to," he said testily.

"You WILL dance with me, Dean, and it'll be my choice of song," Gail said wickedly. "You don't want me to sic Cas on you, do you?"

"Cas?!" Dean scoffed. "He's been more of a woman than you have for the past couple of days about this whole wedding thing."

Gail smiled. Dean was kind of right about that. Cas had been inordinately excited about Frank and Jody's wedding, and he had helped her to make all the arrangements. Plus, he had made some himself. He'd even gone so far as to research wedding traditions on the Internet. Gail thought it was cute, but the guys had been giving him a hard time about it, of course. Cas had even gone along with the bachelor party idea Sam and Dean had had for Frank yesterday, because it was a tradition. But Cas had drawn the line at strippers, and Dean hadn't been able to get him to budge. Dean might have just bypassed Cas and gotten them anyway, but Frank had told Dean that he didn't need strippers, and he didn't want them. Then Dean had teased Frank about being whipped, but Frank had glared at Dean and told him to grow up, and that had been the end of that. So the guys had gone out to a bar instead, and the male Angels and Bobby had gone with them. They had had some drinks and shot some pool, and after a time, the ladies had come to join them. Which was just as well, because none of the humans had a big head today, and now they could drink their faces off at the reception tonight.

Sam and Dean had finally found out why Cas had been so excited and had done so much research for the wedding. Late in the evening, he had approached them at the pool table and, making sure that the three of them were alone, Cas had let them in on his secret. Following Frank and Jody's wedding, after they went off on their honeymoon, Cas wanted Sam and Dean to take him shopping and help him pick out a ring for Gail. He and Tommy had teamed up to make the money for it in the poker room the other day, and Tommy was currently holding the money for Cas.

Dean had dropped his pool cue on the table and walked around it to hug Cas, and then Sam had followed suit. The brothers were grinning, but Cas had looked nervously over at the table where Gail was sitting and chatting with their friends and asked them to keep it quiet, so they wouldn't spoil his surprise. Cas told them he'd been planning to ask them as soon as he and Gail had gotten back from Vancouver, but when he'd found out that Frank and Jody were going to get married, he hadn't wanted to "steal their thunder", as the expression went. But in a way, the delay had been a bit of a blessing; now he'd had an excuse to surf the Net for wedding ideas, and he had come up with a few that he thought Gail might like.

Sam and Dean had agreed to remain silent and act like nothing had happened, but they had grinned like fools for the rest of the night, and Dean was grinning at Gail right now.

She interpreted his grin as amusement at Cas having been so interested in the plans for Frank's wedding, but secretly, Gail was pleased that Cas felt that way. And she was over the moon that her brother had chosen Cas to stand up with him for the wedding. Things had been so bad between Cas and Frank for so long during the Demon period, and even afterwards too. Then God had mercifully erased the incident from all of their friends' memories, and then Lucifer had done it, and it was Lucifer's edit which had stuck. Imagine, Lucifer being merciful. Of course, mercy hadn't been his intention at all at the time, but still, he had done it, and Gail was extremely grateful for that now. Frank and Cas were close these days, and that certainly made things a lot easier on Gail. But she had not forgotten that Lucifer was still out there somewhere, and he had to be dealt with soon. After the wedding, she and Cas and Bobby would have to have a strategy meeting about that. Maybe they should include Crowley, too. They couldn't just sit back passively any more. Now that Felicia was dead, any one of them could be next.

But Gail wasn't going to think about that today. It was her brother's wedding day, a day for love, and laughter. And maybe some eating and drinking? She asked Bobby, "Can I talk to you for a moment? Patricia, can you excuse us for a sec?"

She pulled Bobby aside. "Can you still give us the ability to eat and drink?" she asked him quietly.

"Yeah, Gail," he told her. "And so can Cas. Once you've been God, you retain the ability."

Oh. She tried to remember if Cas had told her that before. Maybe he had; she had had amnesia about so many things, it was hard to think straight. But she didn't really care about that now. Gail had never thought that she would see the day when Frank would get married. She'd been afraid that his lifestyle would condemn him to a solitary existence. At least Sam and Dean had each other. But when Gail had met and fallen in love with Cas, and then Frank had come back into their lives, she'd known how important a good companion could be. Frank was a quirky guy, with a left-of-centre sense of humour. But his heart was very big, and it would have been a crying shame if he had gone through the rest of his life not having anyone special to give his love to. But now he had Jody, and he would have Robbie, too. What a wonderful day this was going to be.

Bobby was smiling. "I already gave it to all of the Angels. Told them it was mandatory today. Me and Patricia, too. I was considering mentioning it to you, but I figured Cas would already have taken care of that."

"He's been too busy being the Best Man," Gail said, smiling. "I haven't seen him all morning. He's been sticking to Frank like glue. He takes his responsibility very seriously."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be with the bride?" Bobby asked her. "It's nearly time to get this show on the road."

"I guess you're right," Gail said, nodding. "I'll pop in and see Cas and Frank first, and send them outside. Then I'll see if Jody's just about ready. And then I'll go outside and walk down with Cas, and then Jody will come down with you. Just like we rehearsed it. Okay?" As Bobby was nodding, Gail looked over at Dean. He was jostling with Kevin, just goofing around, but Gail was worried that the boutonnieres Cas had made for them were going to fall off their suit jackets, so she turned to Bobby and said, "Can you send those clowns outside to start seating people, so they'll stay out of trouble for a few minutes? I don't want anything to go wrong this close to the ceremony. They can be as stupid as they want afterwards."

Bobby's beard twitched. "I'll handle them, Gail. I may not be God any more, but I'm pretty sure those boys are still afraid of me."

Gail smiled. "Good." She touched Bobby's arm, and then walked away from him. She walked down the hall to Frank's room and tapped lightly on the door. "Maid of Honour, coming in," she announced, then she opened the door and entered the room.

Cas was tying Frank's tie and dusting the lapels of his jacket, and Frank was standing patiently, waiting for him to finish. Frank smirked at Gail. "He's been at this for a while," he said to his sister. "I get the feeling he'll be going to get the Dustbuster in a minute."

"You want to look perfect, don't you? You're going to be getting married in a few minutes," Cas said to him.

Gail smiled at Frank. "The Best Man's got a point," she said.

Cas favoured her with a warm smile, and then he went back to fussing with Frank's jacket. Frank stood still for another minute, and then he couldn't restrain himself any longer. "OK, Cas, enough is enough," he said, rolling his eyes. "It's as good as it's going to get." He started to walk away, but Cas put his hand on Frank's chest to restrain him.

"Boutonniere," Cas said, and Frank took a deep breath. Give him patience. Cas looked at Gail. "What colour should it be?" he asked her.

Gail thought for a moment. "How about just white?" she said. "It's simple and basic, and I think it symbolizes love and humility, doesn't it?" Then she smirked again. "Although it should probably be blue, signifying the unattainable, or the impossible. Or peach, which can mean finally closing the deal."

Frank laughed. "There's my sister. I was afraid I might not recognize you today. Don't all girls turn into googly-eyed maniacs at weddings?"

"I'll have to pop in and ask Jody about that," Gail retorted. "But if she's turned into Bridezilla, do you want me to tell her the whole thing's off?"

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't put it past her to have her service pistol in her garter belt to make sure I behave," Frank said, grinning.

"Hey, what you guys do on your honeymoon is none of my business," Gail quipped.

Frank let out a frustrated breath. "Cas, would you just put the stupid thing in already, so I can go over there and hug my sister?"

Cas waved his hand over Frank's lapel and the white rose appeared, and then he stepped away from Frank as Gail approached her brother for a hug. Frank enveloped her in his arms and squeezed her tightly for a moment, and then he put his hands on her shoulders and leaned down, touching his forehead to hers.

"Bet you never thought you'd see this day, did you, kiddo?" Frank said to her.

"I was afraid I never would, yes," Gail agreed. "But I'm so happy for you, Frank, and I'm so happy we're both here to share it together. I don't care about any of that adoption stuff. You've always been my brother, you always will be, and I will always love you. And now I'm going to have a sister-in-law, and a nephew, too. That's pretty cool. I only wish our mom and dad were alive to see this, and to see what a wonderful man you've become."

"And I wish they could see you now, too," Frank said to her. "Who knew that there was such a quality woman hiding behind all those books, for all those years?"

Gail reached up and touched Frank's face. "I hope you and Jody will be very happy, Frank. No, never mind that. I know you will be. And you're going to make a great dad. You were certainly a great one to me. Thank you for taking care of me for all those years."

"I did a damn fine job, didn't I?" Frank said, smiling.

"Stop it. You're going to make me cry," Gail said, returning his smile.

They heard a loud sniffle from behind Frank, and they both turned to look at Cas, who was just returning his handkerchief to his breast pocket. Then brother and sister looked back at each other, and then they burst out laughing. Thank God for Cas, Frank thought. Frank himself had been about two seconds away from bawling like a baby.

Gail hugged Frank once more, and then she walked over to Cas and hugged him, too. She kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for everything you've done for the past couple of days," she said to him. "Oh, and you still look amazing in a suit, by the way. Now I know why the title is Best Man."

"Hey. Standing right here," Frank quipped.

Gail turned to grin at him. "Sorry, fella."

Cas put his arms around Gail and kissed her on the forehead. "I appreciate the compliment," he told her.

"Well, I've got to go now," Gail told the men. "I have to get my dress on, and I'll see if Jody needs any help with hers. That is, if she still wants to go through with it after I tell her a couple of your secrets," she teased Frank.

Frank shrugged. "Jody and I have no secrets from each other," he said. "Pretty much, what you see is what you get."

"Good. Then she won't be too disappointed," Gail quipped. She touched Cas's face briefly. "See you in a minute, sweetie," she told him, and she left the room.

Frank looked at Cas. "'Sweetie'?" he said, smirking.

Cas smiled at Gail's brother. Any teasing he would receive would not bother him today. He was too excited about the prospect of seeing Gail in a dress and walking with her down the aisle.

But Frank had decided to cut Cas a break. He'd been just great the past couple of days. Cas was a solid guy, and Frank liked him a lot. He couldn't have picked a better man for Gail if he'd tried.

Frank put out his hand and approached Cas. "OK, I'll let that one go, considering you're going to be my brother-in-law shortly," he said to Cas.

Cas's face lit up. He hadn't really thought about it that way. Yes, they would be brothers now. That made him very happy. "Are you ready to go, Frank?" he said, shaking Frank's outstretched hand.

"Just one more thing, before we go," Frank said. He pulled Cas in for a hug, and Cas smiled again. Then Frank pulled out of the embrace. "If you ever tell anyone I did that, just remember that I know where the Angel blades are kept," he quipped, and Cas laughed.

Then the men left the bunker and went outside to await Gail and Jody's arrival.

Jody was already dressed, and she and Gail were talking as Gail changed into her dress and heels.

Gail was remembering a very different occasion in the past when Jody had seen her unclothed, and she much preferred this time. She felt a sudden wave of affection for Jody. Jody wouldn't remember that, of course, and Gail was very glad that no one but her and Cas did. But Gail had never forgotten that the bottom line was that Jody had been looking out for her that day, and Gail was sorry that she had not fully appreciated it at the time.

"You and I are going to be sisters in a few minutes," Gail said to Jody. She approached the bureau where Jody was standing, checking her hair in the mirror.

Jody smiled, and turned around to look at Gail. "Yeah. We are," she said. "And I just want you to know that I really do love your brother. We joke around a lot, but I'm telling you, Gail, he makes me very happy. I never thought I'd be happy like this again. Now I'm going to have a brand new family, and you and Cas and all the Angels are included in that, of course."

Gail hugged Jody and then stood back from her, looking at her. "You look gorgeous," Gail told her, and Jody smiled again. She felt a little strange wearing a dress, and she'd even put on a bit of makeup for the occasion. But she had to admit, she looked good.

"I do, don't I? Your brother is damn lucky," Jody quipped, and Gail laughed.

"Let's get this show on the road, then," Jody said, and the women left the room.

Bobby and Cas were standing in the library area waiting, and Bobby smiled when Jody came out. "You clean up real nice," Bobby said to Jody in a husky voice, and she smiled, appreciating what he was trying to say. She had thought she might be a little nervous this morning, but she really wasn't. She was looking forward to starting her new life with Frank, and with Robbie.

Cas was looking at Gail. "You look beautiful," he said to her.

Gail smiled. "You're supposed to say that to the bride."

Cas looked at Jody then. "You look great too, Jody."

Jody grinned. "She gets 'beautiful', I get 'great'," she said. "I hope Frank shows a little more enthusiasm."

"He will," Cas said, smiling. "You're his person." He took Gail's hand. "Ready?" he said to her.

But she shook her head. "Just another minute."

Cas's brow furrowed. "But Frank is waiting."

"Let him sweat for a minute," Jody quipped. "Maybe he'll think I ducked out, or something."

Gail let go of Cas's hand and walked over to where Jody and Bobby stood. "Frank's not perfect, you know," she said to Jody. "He makes terrible jokes, he leaves his smelly socks on the floor, and he burps way too loud after he's had a few beers."

Jody laughed. "Now, tell me something I don't know."

Cas was puzzled. What was Gail doing? But then, it became clear.

"He's not perfect," Gail continued. "Perfect guys don't exist. But there's always one guy who is perfect for you." She looked warmly at Cas. "I found that out." Cas smiled at her, relieved. He came forward to where Gail stood, waved his hand, and she was carrying a bouquet of red and white roses. Then he did the same for Jody, and he moved forward to kiss her lightly on the cheek.

"We'll see you out there," Cas said to Jody. Then he took Gail's hand again, and they climbed the stairs together.

Bobby looked at Jody. "Ready to do this?" he asked her.

"Extremely ready," Jody replied.

Cas and Gail had reached the top of the stairs, and he put his arms around her and kissed her on the lips. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you too, Cas," Gail responded. He gave her a squeeze, and then opened the door that led outside.

Then Cas offered her his arm and they walked down the aisle. Gail was looking from side to side at the guests. "Angels on one side, cops on the other. There has to be a joke in there somewhere," she murmured to Cas. He smiled. A photographer stood in front of them, taking their picture, and then he moved out of the way so that they could proceed.

Gail saw Frank standing up by the arch, with Sam and Dean standing beside him. The other make Angels were sitting with the female Angels on one side of the aisle, but Frank had wanted the brothers to be standing with him when Cas and Gail came out. Then they would take their seats with the Angels as Cas and Gail stood with him and Jody. That was the way they had rehearsed it.

Robbie was sitting with the Angels, but as soon as he saw Cas and Gail approaching, he ran down the aisle to greet them. They smiled down at him, and then at each other. "Richard said this is why he never works with children or animals," Cas quipped to Gail. "They never follow the script." She laughed, and so did most of the guests. Cas leaned down to talk to Robbie. "Go and sit down, please. Jody has to come out, then she and Frank have to do the ceremony, and then you can run around all you want. Okay?"

Robbie nodded. "Okay. Sorry, Uncle Cas. I just get excited sometimes." Then he ran back to his seat and tried to sit up straight.

Cas offered his arm to Gail again, and they walked the rest of the way to where Frank stood. Cas was excited, too. He was thinking of the day in the not too distant future when he himself would be standing in the same position Frank was in now, eagerly anticipating Gail to come down the aisle.

Once they got there, Gail turned to Cas and said, "Now I'm going to go off script too, but just for a second." She walked over the Frank and planted a kiss on his cheek, touching his face. Then she moved over to the other side of the arch, and Cas stood next to Frank.

Then everyone stood as Bobby came down the aisle with Jody on his arm. They walked slowly so the photographer could take a few pictures. When they got to the front, Bobby kissed Jody on the cheek and then he sat with the Angels, while Gail moved back to the middle, to stand beside Jody.

The minister looked at Jody, and she nodded at him. Jody had decided the night before to go off script herself, and after she had mentioned it to Frank, he'd been all for it.

"On this happy day...I'm afraid I must step aside," the minister announced. He left the archway and walked over to where Bobby sat. "Over to you, Sir," he said, and then he sat down on the other side of the aisle.

Frank and Jody turned around to look at Bobby.

"Jody wouldn't take no for an answer," Frank told Bobby. "So, will you please marry us, already?" Bobby frowned momentarily, but Jody said, "Please?" And then he couldn't refuse, not when he saw the look on her face. So he rose slowly and moved to stand in front of the couple.

"I don't have anything prepared," Bobby told them.

"That's okay, Bobby," Jody told him. "Just say what you feel. Frank and I will do the rest." She smiled at Frank, and he returned her smile.

"I've known Jody for a long time now," Bobby told the assembled group. "We've gone through some good times together, and some very hard times, too. But I'm very glad to be standing here with her today. Frank's relatively new to our circle, but he's a good man, and I'm very privileged to be able to bless their union and celebrate it with them." He looked down at Jody. "That's all I've got."

Jody smiled. "We'll take it from here." She turned to Frank. "I promise to love and cherish you, to pick up your smelly socks and drop them in your lap so you can put them in the hamper, and to poke you in the ribs when you snore."

Frank grinned. "And I promise to love and cherish you for the rest of my days, to try to land my laundry into a washing machine once in a while, and to poke YOU in the ribs when YOU snore."

A few of the assembled officers laughed. Jody must really love this guy, if she would let him get away with something like that.

Then Frank looked back at Robbie. "And I promise to take care of you both, and to give you a good home," he added, and he winked at Robbie, who smiled. He remained seated, though. Robbie may still be a kid, but he knew how important wedding ceremonies were, and he was determined to try to behave himself the rest of the way, until it was over.

"Well, those are about the most honest wedding vows I've ever heard," Bobby said, his beard twitching furiously. "Cas, have you got the rings?"

Cas reached into his pocket and got Jody's ring for Frank. He moved around Frank and handed it to her, glancing at Gail as he did so. Gail was still smiling after hearing Frank and Jody's vows, and she was looking warmly at the couple. Then she caught Cas's eye, and the two of them smiled at each other. Cas couldn't wait until Gail was putting a ring on his finger. He would wear it proudly.

Jody slid Frank's ring onto his finger, and then Cas handed Jody's ring to Frank, and Frank did the same. He hadn't even had the chance to buy her an engagement ring, Frank thought. But he knew that Jody didn't really care. They might agree not even to wear these, in the future. But, for now, they were going along with the tradition.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Bobby said. "Now go ahead and smooch, and then we can start the party."

Everyone laughed, and Frank grabbed Jody around the waist and kissed her on the mouth. Robbie couldn't stand it anymore; he came running over them, hugging them both.

"Are you my parents now?" Robbie asked them, looking up at their smiling faces.

Bobby felt the lump in his throat, and he blinked his eyes rapidly. Cas moved forward, taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, but Bobby glared at him and he stepped back, putting it away.

"Congratulations, Frank, Jody," Bobby said in a thick voice. He moved back to sit beside Patricia, who put her hand on his arm, smiling. Sam and Dean were grinning too, looking at Bobby, but they stopped when Bobby looked their way.

"Frank and I are going to go inside for a minute and make out," Jody announced to the guests. "Everybody mingle, and when the chairs are cleared away, there'll be tables in their place, and a buffet will be set up to the side. And, for all you cops, the bar will be right here, where we're standing now. See you in a few."

She grabbed Frank's hand, and they walked back up the aisle as everyone applauded.

Frank and Jody came out of the bunker door about twenty minutes later, and they looked around in amazement. They had indeed made out a bit in Frank's old room, and then they had changed into jeans, by mutual agreement. Jody was grinning. She could just bet that Sam and Dean, especially Dean, were going to be mad when they saw how she and Frank were dressed. But she didn't care. She was the bride, and she wanted to be comfortable at her own party.

Cas and Gail had been very busy in the interim. The Winchesters and the Angels had been shuttling back and forth from the bunker to the backyard, bringing out collapsible tables and rearranging chairs around them. Then Gail had pressed a few of the burlier cops into service, to set up some beer kegs and cases of liquor bottles on a table by the archway, and Cas stood by the bunker door, receiving trays of food that the Angels were bringing up from the kitchen.

"I wish we could just pop in and out," Chuck groused as he started to hand Cas a tray of sandwiches. "My legs are killing me from going up and down those stairs."

Cas smiled. "You said you wanted to stay sharp. Just look on this as part of your training."

Gail walked up to them and said, "Chuck, after you put that on the table, can you bring up another case of wine? I don't think we have enough for the toasts."

Chuck groaned. "Tote that barge, lift that bale," he grumbled, but he brought the sandwich tray to the food table and then he turned around to go back inside.

Gail was smirking. "Hopefully, he'll get a little drunk, but not land in jail," she said.

Cas's brow furrowed. "Pardon me?" he said.

Gail laughed. "Nothing. Never mind," she replied. She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Everything's just about done, and then we can relax," she told him.

"I'm very relaxed," Cas replied. "I'm not really doing much of anything."

"That's the beauty of the supervisory role," Gail said slyly.

Frank and Jody had come out of the door to the bunker just as Cas put his arms around Gail. "Oh, look, Cas and Gail are making out," Frank said sardonically. "What a shock."

"And what have you and Jody been doing for the past half hour or so?" Gail retorted.

"We're married, so we're legally entitled," Frank told her, grinning. He looked at Cas. "So when are you two gonna take the plunge?" Frank asked him. "You're setting a bad example, you know."

Cas knew Frank was joking, so he said nothing. He just smiled at Gail's brother. But Gail quipped, "If we did, I don't know who would pay for it, though, seeing as Cas and I technically have the same Father."

Frank's smile widened, and he looked around furtively. "I think that's funny as hell, but I wouldn't say that too loudly, if I were you. The way you guys act in public, a statement like that could be easily misunderstood. Yech."

Gail laughed, and Cas said, "I wanted to ask you something, Jody. Who was the photographer that was taking the pictures? We didn't arrange for one."

"Oh, that's Jules," she told him. "He's our photographer from the Sheriff's department."

Sam and Dean walked up to the quartet at that moment, and they'd overheard her.

"So, let me get this straight," Sam said. "Your wedding photographer is the same guy who takes your crime scene photos?"

"Yeah." Jody grinned. "Originally, he wanted all of us to lay down on the ground and put blood on our clothes, but we told him that probably wouldn't look too good in the wedding album."

They all stared at her for a moment, and then everyone laughed. Frank and Gail were laughing so hard that tears came to their eyes. "My bride, ladies and gentlemen," Frank said proudly.

Gail said, "That is officially the funniest thing I have ever heard. Welcome to the family, Jody."

"Let's go get something to drink," Dean said, grabbing Jody by the arm. He had looked at her and Frank when they'd first come out of the bunker wearing jeans, but for a welcome change, he didn't complain about it. But he had already taken off his tie, and he shrugged his jacket off now and tossed it to Cas, who caught it neatly.

"Party time!" Dean exclaimed. "Come on, Cas, loosen up."

Cas looked at Gail, and she shrugged. "I'm with Dean," she said, and Cas smiled and took his tie off, putting it in his jacket pocket. "Here, let me help you with that," Gail said to him, and she undid the top two buttons of his shirt, then kissed him on the cheek.

"Settle down, little sister," Frank teased her. "If anybody's gonna get lucky at my wedding reception, it should be me."

"You wish," Jody retorted. "We're going to get drunk and pass out, is more like it. Besides, Robbie is sleeping in our bed here tonight."

"Who's taking care of him when you go on your honeymoon?" Cas asked the couple. "And, where are you going on your honeymoon?"

Frank rolled his eyes. "You're not going to believe it. We're going to Disneyland, and we're taking the kid with us. That's what happens when you become a parent. Suddenly, everything is all about them."

Gail smirked. "So you're telling me that you're not excited about meeting Mickey Mouse? I was hoping Jody would e-mail me a picture of you with the mouse ears on."

Jody laughed. "Are you kidding me? You'll be getting lots of pictures of your brother and your nephew acting like the two biggest kids in the world." Then her smile faded a bit. "Frank and I talked about just taking off somewhere alone together, but we didn't want to leave Robbie here, so soon after his mother's death." She looked over to the food table, where Kevin was helping Robbie fix a plate. "You guys have all been so good with him, but we agreed we want to get him used to being with us as his full-time parental figures as soon as possible."

They were all silent for a moment, and then Sam and Dean broke the mood by elbowing Frank and teasing him about the lack of "action" he was going to get on his honeymoon.

"Don't worry, you guys, Jody and I will manage just fine. We always have," Frank said, smiling at his new wife.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked him.

"You never heard us in the bunker all those times, did you?" Frank said, smirking.

Dean did a double-take, and then he looked at Sam. "Remind me to call a maid service as soon as they go." He looked surreptitiously at Cas, who was nuzzling Gail's cheek now and whispering something to her. "Actually, maybe we'll just wait till those two leave, too, and then we can do a clean sweep," Dean added, smirking.

"What? Where are THEY going?" Frank said, having overheard Dean's remark.

"Nothing. Never mind," Dean said quickly. He grabbed Frank by one arm and Jody by the other, steering them to the bar.

Sam stared after Dean for a moment. Phew. That had been a close one. Frank and Jody would find out soon enough, but he knew that Cas wouldn't want them to spill the beans about Cas's plan to get Gail an engagement ring yet. Not today. Today was Frank and Jody's day, and they should have it.

"So, the plan is: food, toast, cake, then music and dancing," Gail said, standing at Sam's elbow. "And don't worry, I hired the DJ, not Dean."

Sam smiled down at her. "Sounds good to me. Are you partaking today?"

"Oh, yeah," she responded. "I got Cas to give me an appetite before he left."

"He left?" Sam said, puzzled. He looked around. Sure enough, Cas suddenly wasn't there. "Where did he go?"

"To get a surprise for Dean," Gail said evasively. "He was going to get the same kind of surprise for you, but I told him I didn't think you would want yours as much." She smiled at the mystified look on Sam's face. "You'll find out in a minute," she told him, then she grabbed his arm. "Come on, Sam. You can buy me a drink."

Cas knocked on Nicole's door and she opened it immediately.

"Hey, Cas," she said, smiling at him. "How are you? How's Gail?"

"We're wonderful," Cas replied. "It's a very happy day today."

"Well, I'm ready to go," Nicole told him. "Now, how does this work, exactly?"

"You just take my hand," Cas told her. "And then we'll be at the bunker."

She shook her head slowly and laughed. "Wow. If only WE could do that. I'd spend a lot less time commuting. Although, we'll be abroad shortly. I wish you could come with us, Cas. Imagine, me, working behind the scenes of a big-budget movie. Going to exotic locations. It's going to be great."

Nicole went to take Cas's hand, but then she hesitated. "Are you sure this is OK, Cas? Are you sure that Dean wants me there?"

Cas smiled. "Yes, I'm sure, Nicole. He told me himself that he wanted to invite you. It's just that the wedding happened so fast. And Dean thinks like a human. I guess he forgot that any one of us could have come here and gotten you, at a moment's notice."

"Well, I'm glad it was you," Nicole said. "If it had been anybody but you or Gail showing up on my doorstep, I wouldn't have let them in. Dean told me that Lucifer could look like anybody now."

"Do the two of you speak often on the phone?" Cas asked her, curious.

"He calls me fairly regularly," Nicole said, nodding. "We Skype, too. Do you know what that is?"

"Of course I do," Cas said, a little mildly. "Just because I've been in existence since Creation doesn't mean I can't use technology."

"Sorry, Cas, I didn't mean to offend you," Nicole said.

Cas smiled. "You didn't. I'm just so used to Dean and Sam teasing me all the time. Are you ready to go? I'm eager to get back and celebrate with everyone."

Nicole nodded and took Cas's hand, and he winked them into the bunker first, to be discreet. Then they climbed the stairs and went outside.

It did Cas's heart good to see Dean's face light up when he saw Nicole. Dean rushed over to them.

"Cas, what the hell?" Dean said. But he was smiling.

"You said you would like it if Nicole was able to come," Cas reminded him. "So, here she is."

Gail was smiling. Cas had whispered in her ear a few minutes ago that he had called Nicole to invite her to the reception after Dean had said that, and Nicole had accepted his invitation. Cas had asked Gail if he should have perhaps invited Zoey for Sam as well, but Gail had shaken her head. She knew Sam well, and she'd known that Sam wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with Zoey.

"They had a thing, that was all," Gail had told him. "But I don't think Sam wants it to be a THING. If you know what I mean."

Cas didn't, really, but he deferred to Gail, and so he had only brought Nicole.

Nicole was looking around, overwhelmed. She didn't know any of these people, except for Cas and Gail, and Sam and Dean. Which of them were Angels? Which weren't? It was impossible to tell.

"Let's have something to eat," Dean said to Nicole. He took her hand, smiling at her. "It's good to see you," he told her, and then he kissed her on the lips. It was a nice kiss, and his tongue touched her lips for just a moment.

Dean pulled Nicole by the hand towards the food table. "Hypocrite," Gail smirked, as he passed by her. Dean grinned.

They all had something to eat and a few drinks, and then Gail nudged Cas and he stood. "I'd like to propose a toast," Cas said, raising his glass. "To Jody and Frank."

Dean was smirking already. "Here we go," he muttered to Sam, who grinned.

"This is a glorious day," Cas continued. "God always meant for each of us to have a mate. That one person who is the other half of ourselves. The person you can't go one moment without thinking about. The one who you love above all else, and who loves you the same way. It's His most wonderful gift to us."

"Does that mean we have to give the toaster back?" Frank quipped, and Jody elbowed him in the ribs, hard.

It was unclear whether Cas heard Frank or not, but he smiled at Gail's brother and said, "Cherish her, Frank. Don't ever take her for granted. And when you wake up every morning and she's there by your side, you'll know how much your Father truly loves you."

"You wanna wrap this up, Cas?" Bobby said pointedly. "I'm anxious to give this wine a taste. It looks like Gail might have bought a decent vintage, for a change." The Angels laughed, and Cas smiled. "To Frank and Jody," Cas said again.

"To Frank and Jody," everyone said, toasting the couple.

Then Cas sat down, and most of the guests began to clink their utensils on their glasses. Cas looked at Gail and smiled. "I remember reading about this," he said to her. "The guests are signifying that they want the couple to kiss."

"That's right," she agreed.

"Let's fake 'em out, first," Frank said. "Somebody, kiss somebody else. Maid of Honour?"

Gail looked sideways at him. "Well, I'm not kissing YOU," she joked. "Ewww. And I'd better not kiss Cas. You know we'd outshine you guys in the hotness department. I don't want to make you look bad."

Frank gave her a quick glare. The debate was on, and it raged on for a few minutes. Bobby was getting annoyed. "Geez, you two," he said, rolling his eyes. He grabbed Patricia by the hand and pulled her to her feet, then put his arms around her and planted a kiss on her lips.

The Angels clapped and cheered, and the cops applauded too, though most of them had no idea who Bobby actually was. When he was performing the ceremony, he'd said he went way back with Jody. Maybe he was an older relative of Jody's who had gotten a clergyman's license online, or something. That was easy to do these days.

But then the clinking started up again, and Frank and Jody figured they'd better do it, just to shut everyone up. So they stood, and Frank kissed Jody deeply. Everyone cheered.

"In your face, you guys," Jody said to Gail and Cas after she and Frank broke the kiss, but she was smiling.  
Gail looked at Cas. "I guess she told us," she said with a half-smile.

"That just means we'll have to try harder when the time comes, then," Cas told her softly, and Gail's stomach fluttered. Yes, they would definitely have to put a pin in that thought.

Then it was time for Frank and Jody to cut the cake, and Frank brought a big slab of cake back to their table.

"Are you going to eat that whole thing?" Jody asked him, smiling.

"Of course not," Frank replied. He lifted his head and yelled, "Cake!"

Sure enough, Robbie came running over and squirmed into Frank's lap.

"I think that'll be your new name," Frank said to Robbie, putting his arm around the boy and handing him a fork.

"You're silly," Robbie said good-naturedly. He started to shovel cake into his mouth.

"That's my job, kid, that's what I do," Frank said. And he'd never had a better job in his life, Frank thought, and he felt a wave of love for his new wife and his new son. Although his previous experience in child-rearing had been pretty damn good, too. Frank looked at Gail, who was currently laughing at something that Dean had said. She had shifted to sit in Cas's lap now. A few of the other Angels had drifted over to their table, and Gail had claimed she was just making more room for them. When Dean had pointed out that they could just bring their chairs over, she had thrown her napkin at Dean. Then Dean had said something so profane, yet so funny, to Gail that she had burst out laughing. But Patricia had huffed and gotten up from the table, and Bobby had glared at Dean and then hustled after Patricia, and the chastened look on Dean's face had made Gail laugh even harder.

Then the DJ Gail had hired arrived, and as he was setting up, the men moved the tables and chairs to the side, and Sam, Dean, Chuck and Ethan hurriedly put the pieces of wood down that were going to serve as the dance floor.

"Can I see you for a minute?" Cas asked Gail, taking her hand.

"Sure, Cas, what's up?" she asked him.

He steered her towards the door of the bunker. He opened it, and they stepped inside. "What is it, Cas? What's the matter?" Gail asked him.

"Nothing. I just couldn't stand not doing this anymore," he said to her quietly. He put his arms around her and kissed her on the mouth. She opened her mouth immediately, and their tongues came together. Cas's arms tightened around her, and he gently pushed Gail up against the wall.

"I can think of something else we might have to try when we're alone, if you're willing," he said softly.

"I think it's safe to say I'll be very willing," she said. "But for now, we'd better get back out there."

"Yes, we'd better," Cas said, so of course, he kissed her again. Gail was caressing his arms and his shoulders, and when he broke the kiss, she started kissing his cheeks, his forehead, and his chin.

"I love you, Cas," Gail told him. He almost told her what he'd been planning, because she was being so sweet and so loving. But he didn't even have the ring yet, and Cas didn't want to put the cart before the horse. So he was glad when she kissed him again, because now he had another use for his tongue.

Suddenly, the door to the bunker opened and Chuck came inside. He smiled when he saw them. They hadn't quite broken the kiss fast enough, and Chuck had seen them using their tongues with each other. And, as Chuck glanced down, he could see that Cas was getting excited. For a minute, all Chuck could do was stare. He wanted his tongue to be one of those tongues, and he wanted to be in the same condition as he saw Cas in now. In fact, he'd better quit looking, and quit thinking about the two of them, or he WOULD be in that condition in a moment.

"Sorry," Chuck said sheepishly, as Cas and Gail looked at him.

"That's OK, Chuck," Gail said. "We should be getting back out there, anyway." She leaned forward and whispered in Cas's ear, "We'll finish this conversation later." Then she opened the door and went back outside.

Cas turned around to look at Chuck, who was busy trying not to look where he'd been looking. "I just came in to get another keg of beer," Chuck told Cas, staring at his own feet. "Boy, can those cops ever put it away."

"Do you need any help?" Cas asked him.

"No!" Chuck exclaimed. Cas looked at him quizzically, and then he realized what must be going on. Cas smiled to himself. He'd better calm down and stop thinking about Gail, or he would never be able to go back out there.

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Cas said, but Chuck replied, "There's no need to apologize. You two are the best example of the best kind of love I've ever witnessed."

"Just wait a short while," Cas blurted out. "I hope you'll soon be witness to another day very much like today." Chuck raised his eyebrows. What was Cas - ? And then, he got it.

"No way," Chuck said, and Cas nodded. He'd been bursting to tell someone else. Who was he kidding? He'd been bursting to tell everyone.

"I'm going to ask Sam and Dean to go with me to get the ring tomorrow, once Frank and Jody leave for their honeymoon," Cas told him.

Chuck's face broke into a big grin, and he rushed forward to shake Cas's hand, but ended up pulling him in for a hug instead. Fortunately, Cas had succeeded in calming himself down by then. Chuck wanted an experience for himself, but not necessarily that particular type of experience. He smiled to himself.

Then Cas helped Chuck bring out the keg, and when they got back outside, Gail was doing shots with Dean and Sam.

"You're gonna get so wasted," Dean was saying to Gail.

"No, I'm not," she said pertly. "And you know why." She was well aware of all the human guests within potential earshot. She threw back another shot. "And even if I do, I'm not going to have a hangover," she added, sticking her tongue out at him.

Dean sat back in his chair. "Cas, get your woman in line," he said.

"I hope you're kidding with that," Nicole admonished him, but Cas just smiled. Of course Dean was kidding. Cas sat down next to Gail and took her hand. "Of course he is," Cas told Nicole. He brought Gail's hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "She can do and say whatever she likes," Cas said.

Gail smiled. "You heard the Best Man," she said to Dean. Then she ran her hand through Cas's hair, leaning her face close to his. "I think I'll call you that all the time," she said to him, smiling. "It's certainly the truth."

"Bobby, I think Gail's drunk," Dean called out.

Bobby was dancing with Patricia, and his friends watched the couple admiringly as they performed a very deft spin-turn. Then Bobby stopped dancing for a moment and looked at the group. "How old are you now, Dean?" Bobby said, rolling his eyes. "I think you could take some maturity lessons from Robbie, sometimes." Then he and Patricia resumed dancing.

"OK, maybe I am a little tipsy," Gail admitted. "But I know a good cure for that." She rose from her chair and walked over to the DJ's table, weaving just a bit. Once the current song was over, a recent hit song started to play. A pop song, of course, but it had a driving dance beat, and Gail had requested it specifically.

She walked back to Dean and extended her hand to him. "Let's go," she said.

Dean rolled his eyes, but he took her hand and stood obediently. They moved out to the floor and started to dance, and Gail was amazed. Dean was a really good dancer! Who knew? Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the both of them, and Sam was shaking his head. Who would have ever guessed? And Sam couldn't even tease Dean about it, because his brother was that good.

Cas was smiling again. What a wonderful sight to see. After all of the drama they'd all been through together, it warmed his heart to see them like this. Dean leaned forward to say something to Gail, and she threw her head back and laughed. Cas would have to make sure to find out the name of this song, so these two could reprise this dance at his and Gail's wedding. A talent such as Dean had shouldn't go to waste. And Cas loved seeing Gail dancing. She looked so happy, and she was so cute. As he watched her move, Cas was reminded how lucky he was that she had forgiven him, and that she allowed him to love her the way he did.

Nicole was watching Dean, impressed by the way he moved. She smiled to herself. She remembered the night he had stayed in her apartment with her. They had unfortunately not had the chance to have a repeat of that experience since, but they had talked quite a bit since then, and she felt very close to him now. So, this was where he and Sam lived. She hadn't seen the inside of the place yet; maybe after Dean finished his dance, she would ask him if she could see the place. She didn't think he would mind, after everything that he had told her about his and Sam's lives.

Sam was looking at Nicole looking at Dean. Now he understood what Gail had been talking about. He'd been a little surprised to see Cas show up with Nicole, but truthfully, maybe not as much as he should have been. Dean had played his cards a little close to the vest, but Sam knew his brother very well, and he knew that Dean was very interested in Nicole. Just how interested remained to be seen, but in any event, Sam was happy for Dean. It had been way too long for his brother. And as for Sam himself, he was a little glad that Cas hadn't brought Zoey with him, as well. Sam had liked her just fine, but he hadn't been looking for a relationship with her. Based on what Gail had said to Cas, Gail had known that, or at least, she had intuited it. Sam watched Gail on the dance floor now, and he sighed. Cas had remarked a little while back that he knew that Sam loved Gail, and Sam supposed he could admit to himself that that was true. Maybe that was why neither Zoey nor anyone else he could think of was of any particular interest to him. But Sam also realized that he had to wake up and smell the coffee. Cas was going to buy Gail a ring, he was going to propose to her, and she was going to say yes. She loved Sam, of course, but only in the same way that she loved Dean; like another brother, nothing more. And that was never going to change.

Becky was looking at Sam looking at Gail, and she was frowning. This was Becky's area of expertise, and she had known for quite some time that Sam loved Gail. But Becky also knew that Cas was the only man for Gail, and that Sam was out of luck on that score. But Becky could see another quality in Sam's expression right now, one that suggested that he might finally be ready to let his feelings go and move on. She had been happy to be around the bunker so much in the recent past because she'd gotten to see Sam a lot more, and he was even comfortable enough around her these days to have normal conversations with her. But she was starting to feel really guilty about Kevin now. Kevin still thought of Becky as his girlfriend, and she knew that he still held out hope for them to have a physical relationship. She would need to do something about him soon. It wasn't fair to poor Kevin.

Kevin was watching Becky watch Sam. He'd seen her look at Sam like this from time to time, when she didn't know that Kevin was watching. Becky probably wasn't even aware that she was doing it. Kevin had been in denial about it for too long, but he realized he'd better talk to Becky about it and get her to admit how she really felt. Though he was pretty sure he already knew.

Linda was watching both Kevin and Becky. She had managed to stay out of their relationship for the most part, trying out her new resolve to treat Kevin like the young adult he was and let him handle it himself. But if he didn't do something soon, she was going to have to step in. Linda didn't like the way that Becky was looking at Sam, not one bit.

The song ended, and Gail and Dean came back to their table. Dean flopped onto his chair, grabbing a napkin to mop the sweat from his forehead.

"Boy, are you out of shape," Gail teased him. "That was only one song." She nudged Nicole. "Come on, let's get a drink. Dean's going to need CPR before you'll be able to talk to him again, anyway."

Dean was panting, but he found enough energy to raise both of his arms and give Gail the one-finger salute with both hands.

Gail laughed. "I hope Patricia didn't see you do that," she told Dean. "I think she's a little scandalized by the kind of company Bobby keeps."

Dean looked startled at that thought. He craned his head to search for Bobby and Patricia, and saw them standing with Frank and Jody. Frank had Robbie in his arms, and it looked like the young boy was barely staying awake.

Bobby shook Frank's hand. "Congratulations to you both," he said, and then he gave Jody a hug and kissed her on the cheek. "Same to you, dear," Bobby said to her. "I'm very happy for you." Only a very few people knew what Jody had been through with her first family, and Bobby was one of them. Now this was a brand new start for Jody, and he was thrilled for her. Bobby looked sidelong at Patricia, who was shaking Frank's hand now. Maybe this could be a new start for Bobby, too. But he would have to speak with Patricia when they got back to Heaven. She was a bit of an old-school Angel, and he knew she'd been a little shocked at the behaviour of some of his friends tonight. He'd have to tell her that today wasn't really a very good barometer; this was a party, after all. But he would also remind her that most of the behaviour she disapproved of was human behaviour, and humans couldn't be expected to act like Angels. But now, he glanced around and saw that some of the Angels weren't exactly behaving themselves, either. Kevin, Ethan and Chuck were pounding shots now, toasting to the Three Musketeers, as they had been dubbed. And Gail had returned to her table with a fresh drink now, and she was sitting in Cas's lap again, kissing his face. Bobby didn't think that Cas had had anything to drink himself, but it looked like he was enjoying what Gail was doing a little too much, and Bobby wasn't so sure Patricia would approve of their very public display of affection. So he touched Patricia's arm and said, "What do you say we leave the revels to the kids? We can go back home and talk. We'll have a cup of tea, if you want."

Patricia nodded. Frankly, she was a bit relieved by his suggestion. She knew he'd had to put in an appearance here due to his station, but even though she'd been thrilled that Bobby had asked her to accompany him, Patricia was more than ready to leave now. She had been a little taken aback by some of the things she'd seen and heard here tonight. Granted, she knew that humans were a little less refined than Angels were supposed to be, but she had also seen the way that Castiel and Gail were behaving, and Patricia definitely did not approve. She might have to have a little chat with Bobby about those two. He was God, after all; should he not be ensuring that Heaven's lead couple be conducting themselves properly?

Castiel had that thought in the back of his mind, too. Even though he was enjoying what Gail was doing immensely, he could feel Bobby and Patricia looking their way, and Cas didn't want to set a bad example. He was long used to the disapproval of his fellow Angels, but Castiel didn't want Gail to suffer the same thing. And he himself had never quite seen her this way, not even in Las Vegas. She seemed to be well on her way to becoming drunk, and she was acting very bold with him now. But he could not possibly chastise her about it, nor would he ever do so. Her brother had gotten married today, and she had been through so much heartache and sorrow. If anyone deserved to have some fun, it was Gail. And if he were honest with himself, Cas loved what she was doing to him right now. Although if he loved it much more, he wouldn't be able to stand up for a while, he thought with wry amusement. They had already been caught out by Chuck earlier; perhaps Cas had better try to distract her right now. They could pick up this thread later, when they were alone.

Cas's arms had been wrapped around Gail's waist, and she had been kissing his ear and telling him how much she loved him. Cas really had to rein himself in now, or he would just start kissing her, and then he would never be able to stop. So he put his hands on her waist and gently pushed her away from him.

"Patricia and Bobby are looking at us," Cas told her.

"So?" Gail said, smiling. "Maybe they're looking for some ideas about what to do later."

Cas started to smile at her, and then he made himself stop. Obviously, that had been the wrong tactic to take.

"I think Frank and Jody might be getting ready to leave," Cas tried. "It looks like Robbie is already asleep."

That seemed to do the trick. She craned her neck to look at Frank, who was holding Robbie in his arms.

"Leave?!" Gail said. "They can't leave! The party's just getting started! I'll handle this." She got up from Cas's lap and marched over to Frank and Jody. "What's this I hear about you guys leaving?" she demanded. "You haven't even had your dance yet! And you've still got to throw the garter, and the bouquet!"

"Hey, slow your roll, kiddo," Frank admonished her. "We're not leaving, I'm just gonna take Robbie and put him to bed, that's all."

"Oh. Well, good," Gail said. Then she looked back at Cas, who was doing his best to look innocent. Now she got it. Gail looked sideways at Bobby and Patricia. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass anyone," she said to them. "It's just...this is the first time in a long time I've had the chance to have a few drinks and really relax, and I guess I let it go to my head." She leaned forward, looking at Patricia. "The last time I got a little drunk in Las Vegas, Metatron murdered the crap out of me."

Bobby's beard was twitching furiously now, but he had to get Patricia out of here before Patricia started to draw up a petition to impeach Gail as board Chairwoman. Or maybe just to cast her and Castiel out of Heaven altogether.

"Goodnight, Gail," he said to her, putting his hand lightly on Patricia's back. "I'll see you all in the morning." He steered Patricia to the door of the bunker, so that they could ascend discreetly once they were inside.

Gail walked back to the table and fixed Cas with a baleful look. "Frank and Jody aren't leaving," she said to him.

"Oh, I thought they were," he said innocently.

Gail gave him a thin smile. "Fine." Then she walked over to the table where the Angels were seated. "Let's dance, Chuck. Cas obviously wants me otherwise occupied," she said dryly.

Chuck hopped up dutifully, letting Gail lead him to the floor.

Meanwhile, Nicole was trying to get Dean to dance, but the music was still upbeat and he was pleading that Gail had worn him out. Nicole rolled her eyes, and when one of Jody's deputies asked her to dance, she accepted, and followed him to the floor.

Sam was grinning at his brother. "So, Nicole, huh?" he said to Dean.

Dean shrugged. "Yeah. So?" he said, a little defensively. "At least I have a date."

"I wanted to keep my options open," Sam retorted.

"Smooth move, Einstein," Dean shot back. "A lot of options here. Our friends, and a lot of beer-swilling, burly male cops. Is there something that you haven't told me all these years, Sammy?" Dean was smirking now. "I should have figured that something was up when I found that Village People CD in the glove compartment."

Cas looked sharply at Dean, and Dean put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Sorry, Cas. Just goofing around," Dean said to him.

"I hope you are," Cas said stiffly. "Barry and Tommy are our friends, and they'll be coming to our wedding." He felt safe saying that out loud right now. Gail was still on the dance floor. She was dancing with Ethan now, and not looking their way.

"That's assuming she says yes, of course," Dean said casually, taking a swig of his beer.

Cas looked at him, startled. He was sure that Dean must be teasing him now, but it had never occurred to Cas that Gail might say no. Surely that couldn't happen. Could it? They loved each other. She was his person. They had been through so much together. But he had put her through so much of that himself, hadn't he? But she said that she'd forgiven him.

"Why would you go and say something like that, Dean?" Sam chided his brother. "Look at Cas. He looks like he's gonna pass out now."

Dean was smirking. He cared about Cas, of course, but Cas also deserved a little payback, in Dean's opinion. Dean had only been joking around with his brother; he would never have said anything like that if Barry or Tommy had been sitting here. Sometimes Cas didn't give him enough credit. Dean had actually liked Barry and Tommy when he'd met them in Vancouver, and he wasn't nearly as ignorant as Cas sometimes seemed to think he was. Besides, Dean had no idea why Cas would even worry about the prospect of Gail turning him down. Dean had never seen any woman as nuts about any man in his whole life.

But Cas was looking at Gail now, and his brow furrowed. Had he been making assumptions this whole time? He remembered the time she had gotten upset with him for calling her his wife, and she had once pointed out that even though God Himself had stated that they could consider themselves married, she did not. Could it be possible that she still felt the same way?

Gail could feel Cas's gaze on her, and the dancing was tiring her out a bit, so when the current song ended, she thanked Kevin for the dance and went to the bar for another drink. Then she came back to the table and plopped down in the chair next to Cas.

"My feet are killing me," Gail complained. "I should have taken off my shoes before I started to dance." She kicked them off under the table. "Owww," she groaned.

"Here, let me help you with that," Cas said. He reached down and lifted her legs onto his lap and began to massage her feet.

"Ohhhh," Gail moaned loudly. Cas smiled, continuing to rub her feet. She moaned again, and now Sam and Dean were grinning. Nicole came off the dance floor and sat beside Dean. "I was wondering what was going on here," Nicole quipped. "For a second there, I was afraid that this had turned into a different kind of party."

As Gail continued to moan, Dean said, "Do you realize how you sound right now? It's a good thing Bobby's not still here. He'd probably kick both of you the hell out of Heaven."

"We're not doing anything wrong, Dean," Cas told him. "Gail has a need, and it's my job to meet that need. That's the way it's supposed to work."

"Yeah, Dean, that's the way it's supposed to work," Nicole said, elbowing him in the ribs. She was grinning now, too.

Gail had her head back now, and her eyes were half-closed. She was sighing with contentment. "I knew they called you the Best Man for a reason," she said to Cas dreamily. Then she made a sound that reminded him of the times they were alone in bed together, and Cas looked at her curiously, uncertain if he should continue.

Nicole had to turn her head to keep from laughing at Cas's expression. She didn't know much about Angels, but it appeared that they weren't much different than humans in some areas. If men knew what an orgasmic experience a good foot massage was, more of them would be signing up to learn how to do it, she thought. Apparently, Cas came by his talent naturally. Somehow, that didn't surprise Nicole.

"What the hell are you two up to now?" Frank said from behind them. He had just come back outside from putting Robbie to bed in the bunker, and he and Jody had come over to sit with their friends.

Jody looked down at Gail. "Apparently, you're getting more satisfaction on my wedding night than I am," she quipped.

"I would be glad to teach you how to do this, Frank," Castiel said to Gail's brother.

"How do YOU know how to do it?" Frank asked him, curious.

Cas thought for a moment. "I don't know, actually," he said. "Hmm. Strange. Anyway, your sister seems to enjoy it."

Frank rolled his eyes. "That's because it's you who's doing it." He poked Gail. "Stop it, the both of you. Especially you," he said to her. "Learn how to behave."

Gail swung her legs off Cas's lap. "Okay, Dad," she grumbled. "Geez, you should lighten up a little, Frank." She kissed Cas on the cheek. "Thanks, sweetie. My feet feel a lot better now."

Dean had just taken another swig of beer, and he had to fight himself to swallow it rather than spit it out. He managed it, but just barely. "'Sweetie'?" he said, laughing.

"It's a term of endearment, Dean," Cas said, looking at his friend calmly.

"Yeah, but..." Dean looked at Sam, who was exhibiting no reaction. "Come on!" Dean exclaimed. Sam still said nothing, knowing his silence would drive Dean even crazier. And it was working. "'Sweetie'?" Dean said again, looking at Cas incredulously.

Cas looked at Nicole. "Perhaps you would like to take Dean for a walk," he said to her. "He seems a little agitated."

Nicole grabbed Dean's hand, pulling him to his feet. "Come on, sweetie," she said to him, and everyone laughed as she led him away from the table.

The evening was winding down, and all of the cops had left the reception now. "I hope none of them are driving," Jody mused aloud, frowning at the thought.

"We thought you might worry about that," Cas said to her. "That's why we arranged for a bus to bring them all here today, and the same bus came back to pick them all up a little while ago. The driver has been instructed to take them all to their individual destinations."

Jody was impressed by his thoughtfulness. She lifted her glass. "Thanks to both you and Gail," she said to them. "You guys put all of this together in record time."

"It wasn't so hard. We had a lot of help," Gail said. "When you have a squad of Angels on your side, anything is possible."

Cas took Gail's hand and smiled at her. He was glad that she believed that. He did too, at least for the most part. But after today, and after Cas had had his special talk with Gail, they would have to have a brainstorming session about what to do about Lucifer. And Jason, and Mark. And Metatron, who had performed a disappearing act worthy of Houdini. Cas was especially eager to see Mark again. Cas planned to speak Felicia's name just before he cut Mark's throat.

But now was not the time for such dark thoughts. The human guests and the Angel squad had all left now, and the DJ had gone too. It was just the family sitting around one table, talking and teasing each other. This was Cas's favourite time.

"Did we do all of your stupid traditions?" Frank was asking Gail. "We kissed when they clinked glasses, we cut the cake, and we threw the stuff. Anything else we missed?"

Gail was smiling. It was really funny that Linda was the one who caught the bouquet, because she hadn't even been trying. Becky had jostled with a couple of the younger cops' girlfriends, and Gail and Nicole had stood off to the side with one hand each sticking casually out, snickering about a lateral pass. But Jody had thrown the thing in the other direction, and Linda had caught it almost reflexively. Then she had looked at it as if it were crawling with germs and tossed it on the table.

Then Frank had thrown the garter, and Sam and Dean had conspired to have Cas catch it. Dean felt kind of bad about what he'd said to his friend earlier, and he was afraid it was getting in Cas's head now. When Gail had not caught the bouquet, nor had even tried for it, Cas had seemed downcast. Dean had to remember that Cas was an otherworldly being, and as such, he took things like traditions and superstitions a lot more seriously than most humans would.

So Dean had taken Sam aside and they had agreed that they would run interference for Cas. But when Frank tossed the garter over his shoulder, he overthrew it, and it had landed on one of the tables. As the night had grown dark, Gail had arranged to have the candles on each table lit to keep away the bugs, and to provide the lighting. The garter landed on one of the candles, and Dean dove for it and snatched it up, shaking it and blowing on it to put out the flame. Then he stood there with the smoking garter in his hand and turned around to look at Sam, giving his brother a half-shrug. Hey, he'd had to do what he'd had to do. Then he'd given it to Cas, who'd looked at it quizzically and then put it down on the table where Linda had lain the bouquet without comment.

After those rituals had been checked off the list, there had been a bit more dancing, and then the place began to clear out. Now it was just Frank and Jody, Cas and Gail, Dean and Nicole, and Sam.

Cas had frowned a little when Frank had called the traditions stupid. He knew that throwing undergarments was a little strange, but: "It could have been much worse," Cas said to Frank now. "When I was researching wedding traditions on the Internet, you should have seen some of the things I saw."

"Like what?" Sam asked, interested.

Cas smiled strangely. "In India, women who are born under a certain astrological sign are thought to be cursed, and likely to cause their husbands an early death. In order to ward off the curse, the woman must first be married to a tree. Then the tree is destroyed, and the curse is broken."

They all looked at him, smiles breaking out on their faces. "Are you sure you shouldn't have just done that?" Gail said to Jody. "Then you could have just stayed married to the tree. Less laundry, and no bad jokes."

"I have so many wood-based jokes running around in my head right now, it actually hurts," Dean quipped.

"There's an even stranger one than that," Cas continued cheerfully. "In Korea, once the wedding is over, friends of the groom remove his socks, tie a rope around his ankles, and start beating his feet with fish in order to prepare him for his first night as a married man."

"That's to teach him he has to be her sole means of support," Sam said.

"Hopefully, she doesn't say 'not tonight, dear, I have a haddock'," Frank added.

"She'll probably just carp at him all night about the fishy smell in bed, anyway," Nicole chipped in.

"His wife will admit him into the marital bed, but at first she'll be koi about it," Cas said suddenly.

Everyone was laughing now and groaning at the same time. "OK, now I'm really mad," Gail said, "because I can't possibly top that last one. That was the cleverest thing I've ever heard," she said to Cas, putting her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek.

Cas was beaming. "I've been trying to tell Dean for years that I'm funny," he said.

Dean rolled his eyes. "She would think you reading the phone book was funny if you looked at her with the same googly eyes you always do," he snorted with derision.

"Well, as fun as this has been, I think we're gonna pack it in, guys," Frank said, taking Jody's hand. "We're going inside to scoop Robbie, then we're going to stay at the house tonight. Then we'll be over early in the morning for that big breakfast Sam and Gail promised us, and then we have to throw some things in a bag and go to Disneyland."

He and Jody stood, and there were hugs all around. Then the couple disappeared into the bunker.

"Two down," Dean said. "Time to see who can drink who under the table."

"You don't want to play that game with me," Gail warned him cheerfully, "'cause you'll lose."

Dean raised an eyebrow to her, and then he walked over to the bar and got the bottle of whiskey. He came back and slammed it down on the table. "Let's go, then," he told her.

Gail shook her head. "Straight shots of whiskey? I don't think so. Unless you know how to make B52s, I'm out," she said.

"I know how to make those," Sam said, grinning slyly. He went over to the bar and grabbed two more bottles, bringing them to the table. 'Dean and I will drink the whiskey, then, and I'll make you B52s." He looked at Cas and Nicole. "You guys in?"

Nicole shook her head, laughing. "No way. I have to start packing tomorrow, myself. I'm flying out next week. Besides, Gail's an Angel, so my money's on her."

Cas was frowning. "How is the winner determined?" he asked the brothers.

"Last man conscious," Dean said wickedly. He looked at Gail. "Or, woman. Line 'em up, Sammy."

Sam poured shots for himself and Dean, then made some B52s for Gail. They all counted to three, then drank the shots. Then the process was repeated, and then it was repeated again.

Nicole was rolling her eyes now. She had been hoping to have some alone time with Dean tonight, but it was growing increasingly clear that that wasn't going to happen, and Dean was behaving like an ass.

She looked at Cas. "Do you think you could take me home now?"

Cas was frowning hard now, looking at Dean, but Dean was oblivious. "I'll call you soon," he said to Nicole, then pounded back another shot.

Nicole gave him an incredulous look. Hadn't she just said that she was flying out of town to go on location for the show? "Let's go, Cas," she said, rising from the table.

Gail glanced at her apologetically. She could tell that this evening hadn't exactly gone as planned for Nicole, and Gail could sympathize. Gail also thought that Dean was behaving like an ass, and truthfully, she knew that she was, too. But she was feeling tipsy now, and with every shot she downed, Gail felt the pressures of the past couple of years ebbing out of her. And, it was juvenile, but her feminist ire was coming to the forefront now. So, Dean thought she was a wuss, did he? Well, they would see about that.

Castiel was looking down at Gail, and he was growing a little concerned now. She was an Angel, so she should be fine. But he knew more than anyone how much she had been through emotionally, and Sam and Dean had had that part of their memories erased, so they weren't aware of the full picture.

"I'll be right back," he said to them, and he took Nicole's hand. He popped her back to her apartment.

"Thanks, Cas," Nicole said to him. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to this as a mode of transportation, but I have to admit, it sure as hell is convenient."

"You're welcome, Nicole," he replied. "I'm only sorry that Dean behaved so poorly tonight."

She sighed. "That's OK. I know him pretty well by now. I won't deny that I was hoping this evening would go a little differently, but he is who he is. And I am who I am, and I'm not going to waste my time worrying about it. I have a big trip to pack for." Then she smiled. "It was really good to see you and Gail together, and looking so happy. Maybe you guys can pop over and see us on location sometime. Oh, and tell Gail not to worry. Brenda won't be there. She took off a while back, and we haven't heard from her since."

Cas was somber at that. He could pretty much surmise what had happened to poor Brenda. Aurielle had taken her over as a vessel that time in Miami, and Brenda was more than likely dead now. But he did not see the point in saying this to Nicole. She was uninitiated with the way things worked in their world. But it was just as well that Nicole was leaving, he thought. Once they intensified their efforts to locate and eradicate Lucifer and all those who stood with him, no one associated with their group would be safe.

He wished her good luck and winked himself back to the bunker. The three of them were still drinking, and Castiel had had enough.

"You need to stop now," he told them. "It's quite late. Frank and Jody will be by in the morning, and we have a busy day tomorrow." He looked at Sam and Dean, hoping they would get his meaning. They were supposed to go with him to get Gail's ring tomorrow.

Sam was the first one to get it. He put down the bottle he'd been holding. "He's right," Sam said to Gail and Dean. "We don't want to be too hung over tomorrow. One yell from Robbie, and our heads will split wide open."

"What about the contest?" Dean asked him.

"Let's just call it a tie, for now," Sam said, rising from his chair. "Come on, you two. Let's go."

Gail and Dean got up, and they were both tottering a little as they walked to the bunker door. Gail looked at Dean. "I'll get you yet," she said, poking him in the side.

"That's enough of that kind of talk," Cas said sternly.

Gail grabbed his arm. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you're sexy when you're stern," she quipped.

Sam opened the door and Cas put his arms around Gail to help her down the stairs. When they all reached the bottom, Dean looked at Gail. "Looking pretty drunk, there," he said to her, smirking. He was weaving on his feet. "Are you gonna be OK?"

"I'm not drunk, Dean," she insisted. "You're the one who's drunk."

"You're drunker than I am," he retorted.

"This could go on for a while," Sam said to Cas with a grin. "But, I think I have a way to speed it up." He looked at Dean. "How do you feel about Gail right now?" he asked his brother.

"Ahhh, she's all right," Dean said, smiling. "Mouth like a sailor, and she can drink like one, too. She's OK, for a girl."

Cas picked up the cue. "And, how do you feel about Dean?" he asked Gail.

"I love him," Gail said. She grabbed Dean and gave him a big hug, and he hugged her back, saying, "Yeah, OK. I love you too, Gail."

Then Gail hugged Sam and told him she loved him too, and then she did the same with Cas. "I love you all, soooo much," she told them.

"Yep, she's drunk," Dean said, grinning.

Cas took Gail's hand. "Let's get you to bed, then," he said to her.

"Oh, I'd like that," Gail said, and Sam and Dean laughed.

Cas had to smile. "Goodnight, Sam. Goodnight, Dean. We'll see you in the morning." Then he steered Gail down the hall and into their room.

As soon as he had closed the door behind them, Gail came to him, putting her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Cas. I hope you're not mad," she said to him. "I just felt like letting my hair down a little. I've never really done that before." She gave him a sheepish look. "I guess I was behaving kind of badly. Not as badly as Dean, though," she added wickedly.

"You were certainly entitled," he said softly. She was kissing him now, gentle kisses on the cheek. Then she moved to his lips, and if he'd been mildly annoyed with her a few minutes ago, he certainly couldn't be, now.

His arms tightened around her, and he kissed her on the lips once, and then again.

"Did you mean what you said about getting me into bed?" she said teasingly.

"I meant that you should rest," he told her.

"Why? I'm an Angel. I don't sleep, and I won't be hung over in the morning," she retorted. "Do you still have the keycards to our place in Vancouver?" she said in his ear.

Cas had been about to protest again, but really, who was he kidding? He took her hand and winked her to the hotel room in Vancouver, right inside the front door of the room. "Now, why on earth would we need a keycard?" he asked her, smiling.

Then he kissed her with his tongue and she responded eagerly, pressing her body against his. He gently pushed her against the wall, and the way they were standing now reminded him of the way they had stood earlier at the bunker. He was just as excited now as he'd been then, maybe even more so.

"Do you mind if we try what I was thinking of earlier?" he murmured.

"Not at all," she said, smiling.

Cas reached down and lifted her dress with one hand, then he slipped his other hand into her underpants, stroking her slowly. She gasped, and as he wrapped his other arm around her waist, she touched the front of his pants.

"Just a moment," he said in a thick voice, and he reached down to unzip his pants. Then he pulled them down, and he reached up her dress to remove her underwear.

"I love you," he said to her, and he continued to stroke her as he kissed her again with his tongue. She was making her sounds now, and her hand closed around him.

Cas stopped stroking her and he used both hands to lift her body, so that he could enter her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he pushed into her, again and again.

"Does that feel good?" he asked her softly.

"It's so good, Cas," she confirmed.

"Is it all right if I go faster?" he asked her, and she said, "Yes. Please." So he sped up, and then they were both crying out, saying each other's names.

Cas slowed down, but he was still moving in and out of her, and she was clutching his head, telling him she loved him. He felt amazing, and he could tell that she had liked it too, but as always, he had to make sure that she was the happiest that he could make her. So he slowly lowered her body to the floor, and then led her over to the bed. He took off the rest of their clothes and lay on top of her, kissing her on the lips, and then he moved down her body. He kissed her stomach, then licked her belly button, and she laughed, as always. It always tickled her when he did that, and he always did it. Cas loved to hear her laugh. Then he moved down some more, and she already had her legs open for him. He lowered his tongue to her right away, and when he felt she was ready, he closed his lips around her and sped up his tongue, and she cried out his name, telling him how good it was. He smiled and stayed there a moment, and then she started to laugh, and he knew from that reaction that he was giving her maximum pleasure.

He stayed there for a while longer, loving her until she was still, and then he came back up to kiss her on the lips again.

"Cas," she said softly.

"Yes, my love?" he said, muzzling her cheek with his.

"You really are the Best Man," Gail said, smiling, and she wrapped her arms around him, and a minute later, they were making love again.


	3. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Chapter 3 - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Cas had popped back into their room in the bunker just before dawn and gotten them both a change of clothes, and they showered in their suite, then popped back into the bunker. Gail headed to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee and she put the radio on, turning it to her favourite station. Cas sat down at the table, smiling, as he watched her opening the cupboards, taking out pots and pans in preparation for making breakfast. She made sure to do this as noisily as possible. Then she gave him a wicked grin and turned the radio's volume up louder.

Sam and Dean came shuffling into the kitchen a few minutes later. Sam was yawning, and Dean was holding his head with one hand.

"Looks like I win," Gail announced cheerfully, and both men glared at her.

Cas laughed. God, she was cute. He would never tire of making love to her all night long if that was what she wanted, and then seeing her like this in the morning. He couldn't wait until Frank and Jody got here with Robbie so that the day could begin. Sam and Dean looked a bit worse for the wear right now, but Cas knew from experience that once they had had coffee and some breakfast, they would start to feel better.

The only thing he didn't know was what he would tell Gail about where he and Dean and Sam were going. Cas was still puzzling about that when Bobby popped into the bunker.

"Morning," he said. "How's everybody feeling this morning?"

"I've been worse," Dean said, shrugging. He walked by the radio and turned the volume down, glaring at Gail. "I've been better, too," he added, pouring coffee for himself and Sam.

"I feel great," Gail said, smirking. But then her smile faded as she walked over to Bobby. She touched his arm. "I'm sorry if I made a fool of myself last night. I hope Patricia wasn't too scandalized."

Bobby frowned. "Well, I can't say she was OK with the behaviour of a few people last night." He looked pointedly at Dean, then back at Gail. "But I told her it was a party, and she needed to lighten up a little. But maybe, just to be on the safe side, you could act extra professional at the next board meeting," Bobby added, looking at her and Cas.

The couple smiled at each other. "So I guess our plan to make out right on the conference table is a no-go?" Gail quipped.

"Very funny," Bobby said irascibly. "I got an earful, and you're making jokes."

"Okay, I'm sorry, Bobby. I'll do my best to act like a professional. Maybe I'll even wear some fake glasses and tie my hair up into a bun." She turned back to the cupboards so Bobby wouldn't see her rolling her eyes. She didn't see why Bobby should have had to take heat from Patricia over anyone's behaviour. But she supposed that was Bobby's business, if he was willing to put up with it.

Then Frank and Jody showed up with Robbie, and the decibel level in the kitchen rose. Dean moaned and went to the coffeemaker for a refill. Sam seemed to be perking up a bit now, and he joined Gail at the stove.

As Gail was moving to the fridge to get the bacon and eggs, Bobby said quietly to Cas, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He motioned to the hallway, and Cas followed him out of the room.

"Crowley called me this morning," Bobby said to Cas. "He said he heard from Paul, and Paul wants to meet with you."

"With me? Why?" Cas said, surprised.

"He didn't say," Bobby said irritably. "Who's Paul?"

Castiel told him, adding, "I gave Paul my cell number, though, so why didn't he just call me directly?"

"I don't know, Cas," Bobby said, sighing with frustration. "I'm just a messenger, apparently."

Cas frowned. "Well, I guess I'd better meet with him. Hopefully, he's got some information for us. This could be the break we've needed."

Now Cas had a dilemma. Should he tell Gail about the meeting, or not? No, he'd better not; not until he received more information about the message from Crowley. There was no way he was going to expose her to that kind of potential danger.

He thought furiously. How could he make sure she stayed occupied while he went to talk with Crowley? It was ironic, really; he had just been trying to think of an excuse to keep her occupied, but for a much happier reason. But now his plan would have to be put on hold. This meeting was the top priority.

When Cas and Bobby came back into the kitchen, Gail walked up to them. "Is everything OK?" she asked Cas.

"Yes, it's fine," Cas replied quickly.

"Good," she said. "Frank and Jody wanted to know if I wanted to go over to the house and help them sort the wedding presents, so I'm going to do that after breakfast," she told him. "You can come, if you want. Or stay here. Whatever you like."

Cas was relieved. He blessed Frank and Jody. "I think I'll just stay here," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Take your time and have a nice visit."

After breakfast, Gail left with Frank, Jody and Robbie, and Bobby went back up to Heaven. Sam turned to Cas. "Ready to go?"

Cas frowned. "Change of plans, Sam." He told the brothers about the message from Crowley, and that he was going to go to the crossroads to meet with the King of Hell.

"What if she calls, or comes back, and you're still gone?" Dean asked. "What do you want us to tell her?"

"I'll leave that up to you," Cas told him.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Sam asked. Dean perked up at his brother's question. Nothing cured a hangover better than killing some Demon bastards.

"No," Cas said. "Let me find out what information he has to give us first, and then we'll go from there."

Cas popped over to the crossroads, and he was just about to summon Crowley when Paul suddenly appeared.

"You have to come with me quickly, Castiel," Paul said to him.

"Why? What's going on?" Cas asked.

"Jason has two of your Angels," Paul replied. "I told him I was going to get Lucifer, but I came here, instead. But you'll have to hurry. They can't know it was me who told you."

He put his hand on Castiel's arm, and they disappeared.

When the group of Angels had gotten back from the reception the night before, they had all retired to their separate quarters. All except for Kevin and Becky. She had started off towards her apartment, but Kevin had trailed after her. Like Gail, he was feeling tipsy from the shots he'd had with the other two Musketeers. But mainly, he'd just decided that the time had come to have it out with Becky. After seeing the happy couples at the wedding, Kevin realized he needed to find out once and for all if he was wasting his time with Becky, or not.

So he had followed her down the corridor, entreating her to talk to him. But Becky had no idea what to say, and she was panicking. Once they got there, she slammed the door in his face.

But she had had to come out sometime, and Angels didn't sleep. When Becky emerged from her apartment in the morning, Kevin was still there, waiting for her. He grabbed her by the arm to prevent her from retreating back inside and said, "Come on, Becky, just tell me: Are you my girlfriend, or not?"

"Sure I'm your girlfriend," she told him nervously. "I let you hold my hand, don't I?"

But Kevin wasn't buying it. He was fed up with being her doormat. "And that's ALL you let me do," he retorted. "But I bet you'd let Sam do more, wouldn't you?"

Becky looked at him guiltily, trying to figure out what to say.

Kevin sighed, letting go of her arm. That look was all the answer he needed. "Sam," he said, shaking his head. "Of all people."

"Why? What's wrong with Sam?" Becky said sharply. She couldn't help it.

"What's WRONG with him?" Kevin echoed, raising his voice. "He's a human, for one thing, Becky! Oh, and he's the guy who murdered me, for another!"

Becky was shocked. "What? What are you talking about?" she asked Kevin.

"Okay, well, it wasn't him, exactly. But it was his face I was looking at when I died. And every time I look at him, I still think about that."

"Well, I'm sorry about whatever that was, Kevin," Becky said, "but I love him. I've loved him for years. I guess I'm glad it's out in the open now."

Typical. She didn't even ask for any details about what he'd just said. As usual, it was all about her. "You're glad," Kevin said sarcastically. "Well, that's just great. Cause it's all about you, isn't it, Becky? Never mind how I feel. Never mind that you've been leading me on all this time. Well, you know what, Becky? You can go to hell! Oh, that's right, I forgot. You've already been there. Well, good luck with Sam. You're gonna need it."

Then Kevin turned his back on her and marched to his office. He sat at his desk, brooding. Suddenly, he wanted to be any place but here. Any time now, his mother was going to come around, and once she saw that he was crying, she was going to freak. Kevin wiped the tears from his face angrily with the backs of his hands. He felt like such an idiot. Well, he wasn't going to sit around here moaning over Becky. He was going to go somewhere and have a good time.

Kevin knew that he could go to Earth any time he wanted to now. He was one of the Designated Angels; he could go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. None of them were supposed to, of course, unless they cleared it with Bobby first. But Kevin didn't want to talk to Bobby about any of this. He was a nice man, and a great boss, but he was considerably older than Kevin, and he was also close to Sam. Kevin didn't have to use his genius IQ to figure out whose side Bobby would be on.

Maybe he'd just go down to Earth for a few hours, to clear his head. See a few sights. Live a little. Kevin remembered his Mom talking about New York City, how everybody should see it at some point in their life. Maybe he'd go there for a while.

A few minutes later, Linda came by Kevin's office, but he wasn't there. Strange; he hadn't been in his apartment, either. Then she went to see Becky, and Becky had haltingly told Linda that they'd had a fight, though she didn't divulge what it had been about. She guessed they were broken up now, Becky had told Linda, shrugging. And then Becky had gone back to work.

Linda was glad to hear that, but she was also alarmed now. She knew her son. He was very sensitive, and very inexperienced with girls. He would be taking this very hard. Kevin would need her now. But where was he?

Linda marched into the library and told Chuck what was going on. "I need you to look and see if you can see where he is," she told Chuck.

"Why don't you just give him some space, for now?" Chuck said to her. Truthfully, he thought that Linda was overreacting. Although, Chuck did feel for his friend. But Kevin was grown, even though he was very young, and he had complained to Chuck in private that his mother treated him like a baby sometimes.

Linda gave Chuck a withering look. "You've seen what I can do, and I've been keeping up with my training," she said to him. "Now, are you going to help me, or not?"

Chuck sighed. He supposed he wanted his groin intact, in case he ever got the chance to use it again. "OK, let me see if I can pick him up," Chuck said, and he closed his eyes. He didn't hold out much hope, though. Both he and Kevin had pretty much been bone dry since the day that Lucifer had escaped. But maybe Chuck would be able to see Kevin. They were close friends, after all, and Chuck had been starting to get the occasional vision lately. Just glimpses, really. A baby left on the doorstep of a building. Mysterious-looking stone tablets. And a red-haired woman, naked and on top of him. Chuck had enjoyed that one. And it made a welcome change from seeing Cas and Gail in that situation all the time. He loved his friends, but it was starting to get weird.

Then, incredibly, a picture was starting to form. "He's in New York," he said to Linda.

"New York?" she exclaimed. "New York City? Where?"

Chuck held up his hand. "Just a minute, Linda. He's tied to a chair, and he's struggling to get free." He described the location as best he could, but he had never been to New York City. Linda had, though, and she thought she knew the place that Chuck was talking about. In fact, she was sure she did. "Is he alone?" she asked.

Chuck confirmed that Kevin was indeed alone, and Linda said, "Fine. I'll go get him. We'll be right back."

"Shouldn't we tell Bobby about this? Or Cas?" Chuck said.

"No, why bother them?" Linda said. "I know exactly where he is. I'll go get him and bring him back here, and then we can find out what's going on over there. Who tied him up. Depending on what Kevin can tell us about that, we can get the whole squad together and mount a surprise attack. But we should find out what we're dealing with, first. I'll be right back."

Before Chuck could object, Linda had vanished. OK, he supposed that was reasonable. He would wait a couple of minutes for them to get back, and they could go from there. Then there was a flurry of activity in the library, and then when Chuck looked again to find out what was keeping them, there was Linda, tied up beside Kevin.

Crap. He never should have let her go by herself. Now he would have to go and see Bobby and tell him. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too mad at Chuck. And Linda hadn't even told Chuck where the place was, only the fact that she knew it. But Bobby was God; he would be able to send the beacon out.

But when Chuck went to see Bobby and gave him the alarming news, Bobby was frustrated. He didn't have the all-seeing eye anymore, because he was no longer God. And he couldn't pick up on their location using ordinary Angel radar, either. The place they were being kept in must be encased in sigils.

"Keep looking, Chuck," Bobby said, gritting his teeth in anger. "See if you can get any clue, anything at all."

Chuck looked at Bobby curiously. Why couldn't Bobby see them? But Chuck was preoccupied, worried sick about both Angels, so he concentrated hard, keeping the picture. Suddenly, a tall figure entered the room that the mother and son were being held in.

"Jason!?" Chuck exclaimed, shocked.

"It's Jason that's got them?" Bobby asked the Prophet.

"Yeah," Chuck breathed, dazed.

Great. Just great. At least it wasn't Lucifer, Bobby thought sardonically. But that was of little consolation. Cas had confided to Bobby what Jason was now, after he and Gail had seen the former Angel in Lucifer's employ. He must have escaped from Heaven's prison somehow, Cas had theorized, just as Metatron had, a couple of years ago. But Bobby knew what had really happened to Jason in Heaven, he just had not shared that information further down the food chain. Another case of complacency, and just another validation in his mind that he wasn't competent to do God's job.

"Where are they, Chuck?" Bobby pressed him.

"I don't know, Bobby. I'm looking, but I can't see any clues. New York City is a big place, you know," Chuck said through clenched teeth.

Bobby was beyond frustrated now. Chuck continued to watch the scene, and he reported that Jason was standing over Linda and Kevin, and he was baring his fangs. Bobby felt panicked now. How could they rescue the Angels if they didn't know where they were?

"Don't bother getting too comfortable," Jason was saying to the Angels. "You probably won't be here long."

"What, are you going to kill me again?" Linda said sharply. "I thought you were bad before but look at you now. I wish I had my holy water. Or my knife. I'd make you into swiss cheese."

Jason smiled. "You can, if you want. It wouldn't do you any good anyway. You can't kill what's already dead."

"So that's why you smell so bad," Kevin said to Jason, who laughed mirthlessly and then took out his Angel blade and slashed Kevin's arm with it. Then he licked his lips, looking at the blood that sprang up from the cut.

"You're lucky I'm saving my appetite," Jason said to Kevin. "You, too," he told Linda. "I wish I'd been a vampire when I killed you before," Jason added. "Your blood could have nourished me for weeks."

"What are you planning to do with us?" Linda demanded to know.

"Me? Nothing," Jason said. "You're simply here as bait."

"Bait?" Kevin echoed.

"Yes. For the bigger fish to come into the net," Jason replied.

"They're waiting for a bigger fish," Chuck said to Bobby. "And he said he's saving his appetite, thank God." Bobby gave him a sharp look, and Chuck added hastily, "You know what I mean."

A bigger fish? Bobby thought. What did Jason mean by that?

"I'm calling Cas," Bobby told Chuck.

But then Chuck said in an oddly toneless voice, "Don't bother."

Paul popped himself and Cas into the room, and Paul and Jason seized Cas and threw him against the wall, fastening his wrists into shackles.

Jason stood back from Cas then, smiling at him. "Hello, Castiel," he said in an even tone. Lucifer had told him what to say. "The cure worked, I see."

Linda and Kevin exchanged puzzled glances. Cure?

Cas glared at Paul. "You betrayed me. Why?" he asked the young Demon.

"You killed my father," Paul answered simply.

"But you hated your father," Cas pointed out.

Paul inclined his head. "True, but I hate you, too. Just on general principles."

Castiel was attempting to wink out of the room, but he could not, of course. Jason was smirking now. "Lucifer designed this room specially," Jason told Castiel. "No one gets out of here unless we allow it." He waved his Angel blade in Cas's face. "Now, where do I start?"

"Let them go, then," Castiel said, nodding his head towards Linda and Kevin. "I assume you took them just to get to me. Well, you've got me now, so you don't need them."

Jason smiled nastily. "We all know how egotistical you are, Castiel. And, you're right; I have no particular need to harm these Angels. They were just a means to an end." Jason strode over to a table at the end of the room, and he grabbed a handful of black powder from a bag that was lying on the table. "Show's over, gentlemen."

He threw the powder on the floor, and a thick black cloud plumed up, obscuring Chuck's view. His vision was gone.

"Take those two next door and guard them," Jason ordered Paul, gesturing to Linda and Kevin with his blade. "Castiel and I need to have a private talk."

Paul gave Jason a baleful glare. "The only thing that's missing in that sentence is you calling me 'boy'," he sneered.

Jason frowned. Paul made those kinds of inferences quite often, and Jason didn't really know what he meant by them. So he simply shrugged. "Fine. Suit yourself. But it's Lucifer who wants him to be here alone. I'm just the warm-up act. So if those two are still in this room when Lucifer gets here, you can answer him when he asks why the Angels aren't in the other room."

Paul thought about that, and he decided he didn't want to find out how that conversation might go for him. So he untied Linda and Kevin from their chairs and herded them out of the room, wielding his own Angel blade.

Linda looked at her son, and he gave her a slight nod. When the opportunity presented itself, they could overpower this Demon, she was sure of it. It was just a shame she didn't have her holy water with her, or she could throw it right in his face and then take her chances. She would love to try it out on Jason, too. Did it work the same way on a vampire? She would have to ask Sam and Dean about that. And just why was Jason a vampire, anyway? Boy, would she love to get Jason. She owed him some payback for the cruel way he had killed her.

Jason was smiling at Cas now. "Don't worry; Lucifer will be here in a minute, and then you won't have to deal with me anymore. But before that happens, he promised me that I could have a snack, just to tide me over. I'm awfully hungry now, though, and I don't believe you'll be satisfying enough. Those Angels weren't the bait, Castiel. You are."

Cas was scared now, because he was pretty sure he knew what Jason was getting at. But he would not show his fear to this man. "What are you babbling about?" he snapped.

Jason smiled. "It's good to know that some things never change. All right, I'll spell it out for you, Castiel. One of the conditions I put on my employment with Lucifer was that I would be afforded the opportunity for a little payback for my favourite couple. And here one of them is, now. The little show we put on a moment ago was for the Prophet's benefit. He'll alert Bobby, who will have no choice but to alert the other person whose presence is required here. And we both know who that is, don't we, Castiel?"

Castiel did. He tried to send a mental message to Gail. Don't come. Please, don't come.

Jason saw the look on Cas's face, and he laughed. "None of your methods of communication will work here. Lucifer's powers trump all others. You and Gail will finally see what it's like to lose, and to feel the constant hunger that I feel now. You never should have left me alive in that cabin, Castiel. You should have killed me."

"Yes, I should have," Cas retorted. "And I look forward to the opportunity to rectify that mistake."

"Always speaking like you're the one who's in charge," Jason said. "Even though you're the one in chains, not me. I admire that about you, Castiel."

"You're the one who's a captive, to your appetite," Cas shot back.

Jason punched Castiel in the face. "I learned that from you," he said, smirking. The Angel's head rocked back, and he bit his lip involuntarily. A thin drizzle of blood escaped from Cas's mouth, and he saw Jason's eyes grow bright.

Jason's face was close to Castiel's now, and he was looking avidly at the trail of blood. He grabbed Castiel's head and tilted it to the side, looking at his enemy's neck. "Look at that," Jason said softly. "I can actually see the vein in your neck pulsing. I've seen it do that before, when you get angry. But now it looks to me like an invitation." Jason opened his mouth, baring his fangs, and Cas tensed. "I'll bet she kisses you there sometimes, doesn't she? Well, when she gets here, I'll make sure that she does a lot more than just kiss you there in the future. I'm going to feed on her, Castiel, and I'm going to turn her. And then she can either turn you or kill you. Whichever you want, Castiel. Actually, I'll probably be doing her a favour. You used to bite her all the time, did you not? Maybe she'd like a little vengeance."

Cas felt ill. Jason was luring Gail here, and then he planned to feed on her until she became a vampire. There was no way Castiel could allow that to happen. But how was he going to prevent it?

Gail was in the living room of Felicia's house, waiting for Frank and Jody. They were all packed now, and she had helped Jody sort and tag the wedding presents they had received.

She looked at the bookshelf next to the TV, and she realized with a start that she was looking at Ignatius's gavel, the item Gail had given to Felicia at her father's funeral as a keepsake. Gail had thought at the time that Felicia had a loving husband, and that she would be all right once her grief over her father's death had eased with the aid of time. Boy, had they all been wrong about that. Now Felicia was dead too, and her husband was Lucifer's minion, the monster who had killed her.

Then Gail suddenly got one of her feelings, and this one was so strong that she staggered back a step. Cas! Something was wrong with Cas.

"Well, we'd better get going," Frank said from behind her. "Do you want a ride back to the bunker?"

Gail turned to look at her brother, and he misinterpreted her look and smiled. "I know. I realized how stupid that was the second it came out of my mouth," he said.

Gail was starting to feel the dread now, but Frank was hugging her, and then Jody was, and she didn't want to upset them for no reason. They were headed out on their honeymoon, and there would be nothing they could do about what she was feeling, anyway. She bent down, giving Robbie a kiss, and the three of them left the house. Gail promised to lock up behind them before she left.

She waved out the window, smiling, as they pulled away. Then she checked the front door to make sure it was locked, and she popped herself over to the bunker.

Sam was in the library, sorting books. "Hey, Gail," he said. "Did Frank and Jody get off all right?"

"Yes, but never mind that," she said. The panic was like a constant hum now, going all the way through her body. "Where's Cas?"

Sam looked past her, and she wheeled around to look at Dean. "Dean, where's Cas?" she asked him warily.

Dean made a face. He didn't see a choice here. "He went to meet with Crowley," he told her.

"Crowley?" Gail exclaimed. "Why? What's going on?"

Dean looked really uncomfortable now. "Maybe you'd better check in with Bobby," he said evasively.

Gail was really scared now, but she was also getting angry. "What the hell's going on around here, Dean? Since when does this kind of stuff happen behind my back?"

"He's just trying to protect you," Sam told her.

Now Gail was seething. She knew that Cas could take care of himself, but she was upset that he would meet with Crowley without either taking her along, or telling her about it, at the very least. She thought that they had progressed well beyond the days when Castiel used to keep her in the dark about everything.

"Fine," she said shortly, and then she popped into Heaven. She didn't even bother to knock on Bobby's door, she just opened it and walked in, ignoring Laurel's greeting.

Chuck was there, and he and Bobby looked at her guiltily. "What's going on with Cas?" Gail demanded.

"We were just about to call you," Bobby told her. He didn't bother asking her how she knew; he was getting used to this kind of thing by now. Maybe he should add Gail to the payroll as a Prophet, or at least expand her job description.

Bobby told Gail about what Chuck had seen. "Oh my God, Chuck," she gasped. "Where are they?"

"New York City," he told her. "That's all I know."

"Oh, well, as long as you've got it narrowed down," she said sarcastically, and Chuck's face fell. "I'm sorry, Chuck," she said quickly. "I'm just..." He nodded, understanding.

Gail started to pace the floor. "But how did he get from a meeting with Crowley to being held captive by Jason?" she mused aloud.

"He wasn't meeting with Crowley, he was meeting with Paul," Bobby said.

Gail's head snapped up. "Paul? Paul, the Demon? Raphael's son?" she asked.

"Yeah," Bobby said. "Crowley told me Paul said he wanted to meet with Cas, presumably to give him some intel on Lucifer. So I told Cas about it at the bunker this morning, and he said he was going to go talk to Paul."

"So you knew about this, too?" Gail said to Bobby, raising her voice. "Why is it that I'm the only one who seems to be out of the loop here, all of a sudden?" She glared at the men. "And don't tell me he's trying to protect me, cause I don't want to hear about it!"

She disappeared from Bobby's office and winked herself to the crossroads, mentally shouting Crowley's name. He appeared immediately, looking annoyed.

"It's a good thing no one invited me to Frank's wedding, or my head would have split open just now," he said to her. "What are you screaming about?"

"Did you set Cas up?" she demanded.

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"Bobby told me you told him that Paul wanted to meet with Cas," she replied.

"Yes, that's true," Crowley agreed, nodding. "What of it?"

"Well, Cas is currently in New York City somewhere, chained to a wall, being threatened by Jason!" Gail yelled at him. "Suppose you tell me how that happened!"

"I have no idea," Crowley said, mystified. And it was the truth, for a change. "Aside from my phone call to Bobby, I wasn't involved. I had just assumed that Paul would set up the meeting with Castiel, and that Castiel would let me know when and where."

"Well, that obviously didn't happen," Gail fumed. But her voice was quieter now. She actually believed that Crowley was telling her the truth. But she was frantic now. "And your guy Paul delivered him to Jason. So if you know anything about where he might be, I need you to tell me! Please."

"Paul's recently been operating out of a den in New York," Crowley said thoughtfully. "He told me that there were rumours that Lucifer was planning something big there, and that he would probably be showing up there soon. Paul was supposed to let me know if and when he did. But Paul is a bit of an odd duck, and when he said he wanted to talk to Castiel instead, I just assumed that Paul was being difficult with me. He gets like that sometimes. But I was certain that Castiel would contact me with the information."

"Well, obviously, Paul did something to him," Gail said, her voice raising again. "And now, he's being held prisoner, and I'm going to lose it in about two seconds!"

"All right, all right," Crowley said, raising his hands as if in surrender. "I'll take you there. But I'm not going in with you. You'll be on your own."

Gail made a face. "So you're going to take me to a Demon den, plunk me down, and then take off? Nice."

Crowley raised an eyebrow. "King of Hell, sweetheart. They're all defectors, and from what Paul has told me, there are a lot of them. I'm extremely powerful, but it would be suicide for me to walk in there right now."

Gail glared at him. She guessed she could understand that, but what was she going to do now? If Crowley was too nervous to go in there, how the hell could she expect to go in there by herself and survive?

She couldn't take the chance. This was Cas's life that was at stake. "Then I guess I'll have to do it myself," she said to him. But now she was lying, of course. As soon as Crowley took her there and then took off, Gail was going to call in the troops.

But Crowley was looking at her speculatively now. "You'll take care of it yourself," he repeated sarcastically. "All by your lonesome."

"Yes," Gail said, looking him in the eye.

"You're lying," he said to her. Then his face broke into a grin. "I like that in a woman. Especially in an Angel."

"Well, what do you expect me to do?" Gail said, frustrated. "If you won't help me, I guess I'll have to call on my real friends."

"Friends?" he echoed. His smile became more of a smirk now. "Just when did you and I ever become friends?"

Gail's brow furrowed. Why had she said that? Of course Crowley wasn't her friend. But she needed him to take her there. "OK, Crowley, you're right," she said to him. "If it will make you happy, I'll beg you. Whatever it takes."

He was staring at her now. If he was as repugnant as they all seemed to think, there were a few things he could suggest that she could do for him in exchange for safe passage to the den. But he had never minded others doing his work for him, and all of the Demons in that den were traitors to Crowley now. Gail could call forth as much help as she wanted to, and they could cut a swath through all of those former minions if they wished. Once Lucifer was taken care of, Crowley would have to plan a strategy to swell his ranks again. But until that time, all of the deserters were dead to him. In a manner of speaking.

He took her hand. "Give Bobby a call," he said to Gail. "Tell him where you are, and tell him to bring Moose and Squirrel, too. Then you can mount your rescue operation."

"Thank you," she breathed with relief.

He snapped her there, and a moment later, Bobby arrived with Sam and Dean, and Chuck and Ethan were with them. The Angels' eyes widened when they saw Crowley, but Bobby and the Winchesters displayed no reaction. Nothing that Crowley did surprised them anymore.

"It would seem that the cavalry is here," Crowley said dryly. "I'll be leaving, then."

"How many of them are in there, Crowley?" Bobby demanded to know.

The King of Hell looked at Bobby coolly. For a guy who was no longer God, Bobby was certainly acting like he had the ultimate power. But Crowley supposed that he would probably do the same thing if he were in Bobby's position. He knew how important morale was in the Kingdom.

"How the hell should I know?" Crowley said nastily. "If you want Castiel back that badly, I guess you'll have to go in there and find out. Personally, I think I'd just leave him there." Then he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Dean rolled his eyes. "What an asshat," he said, taking his Demon knife out of his jacket.

"Have you got one of those for me?" Gail asked, and Sam handed her the extra one they'd brought from the bunker. She thanked him, and said, "How the hell are we going to get in there, now?"

"We'll pick the lock, of course," Sam said, grinning. He looked at Ethan. "Just don't tell any of your cop buddies."

"Ummm...Sam," Gail said, touching his arm. She pointed to the door. It was a solid metal door that looked like it had been sealed right into the brick wall that was the facade of the building. But there was only one problem: the door had no lock, no handle, and no apparent means of entry. Sam pushed on the door, then felt all around it for an entry trip switch, but there was nothing.

"Now what?" Gail asked him.

Dean moved forward, jostling his brother out of the way. "Demons are stupid," he said to Gail, smirking. He raised his arm and banged on the door with his Demon blade.

A minute later, the door pushed open. Sam yanked on the door, and the Demon who had pushed it open came flying out into the alleyway. Dean grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around, and plunged his knife into the Demon's chest, tossing the meat suit aside when he was done. "Told you they were stupid," he said.

"Most of these kinds of places have multiple rooms," Sam said to Chuck and Ethan quietly. "We'll have to check them all systematically until we find him. Try to be as silent as you can, but kill any Demon you see, obviously. We can't afford to be hesitant, or indecisive. Lucifer could be here among them."

Chuck was a little scared, but he was also extremely excited. This was his chance to be a hero. It was always Cas, or Dean, or Sam. Chuck was dying to make a real contribution. His prophecies never seemed to help when it really counted.

They all fanned out and started silently pushing open doors, checking the rooms. Gail started off down the hallway on her own, but Sam grabbed her hand and moved her behind him. In the interests of stealth, she didn't react, but she was frowning behind his back. What was it going to take for these guys to include her as an equal part of the team? The sense of urgency was really gnawing at her now. Jason hated Castiel, and Chuck had advised that Jason had been waving an Angel blade in Cas's face. What would prevent him from killing Cas, right then and there? Chuck had advised that Jason seemed to be holding off for now, but she knew Jason better than Chuck did, and she was sure that he would not be able to restrain himself for long. And she had not forgotten that Jason was a vampire now. That was her and Cas's fault, wasn't it? At least, that was the way that Jason would be looking at it. God help Cas, and God help her.

There were some Demons in some of the rooms, but so far the team was handling them easily, cutting a swath through the place quickly and quietly. But Gail was becoming very agitated now. This was taking too long, and it seemed like it was by design.

Sam lowered the vessel of the Demon he had just killed quietly to the floor, and he gestured to Gail with the bloody knife. She poked her head out into the hallway, but saw nothing, just more doors. How many rooms were in this place? She looked at Sam and shrugged, pursing her lips.

Suddenly, Gail heard a man's scream, coming from down the hall. Cas! She knew it was him, even though she'd never heard him scream like that before. Then another scream, loud and full-throated. Screw the stealth. She ran forward, down the corridor. "Cas!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Cas! I'm here!"

Dean came running out of a room further down the hall and grabbed Gail by the arm. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked her. "I thought we agreed to be quiet!"

"Don't you hear that, Dean?" Gail asked him incredulously, struggling to free herself from his grasp.

"Hear what?" Ethan asked. He and Chuck had joined Sam behind Gail.

"It's Cas! He's screaming!" Gail said frantically. They all looked at her blankly. Then she heard it again, and she shook free of Dean's grip and took off running down the hallway towards the sound. More Demons came pouring out into the hallway and Dean cursed, running after her. He started stabbing Demons right and left, throwing their empty vessels aside. Gail had her knife out, but she was evading the Demons like the a running back on a football team, not wanting to stop, on her way to Cas. She had no idea what could be making Cas scream like that, or why the others couldn't seem to hear it, but she couldn't stand it anymore. She was going to kill Jason somehow, even if she had to saw his head clean off with her knife. Sam and Dean would know what to do with his body after that. All of those books she'd been living with at the bunker all this time, and she still hadn't learned how to properly kill a vampire.

Gail had reached the door where the sounds were emanating from, and she had been about to open it and burst in when Chuck grabbed her from behind. "Wait up, Gail," he told her. "The others are coming."

"I don't care!" she exclaimed, trying to squirm out of his arms. "Let them come! I've got to get in there now, Chuck! Jason's torturing the crap out of him!"

Chuck was puzzled. What would make her say that?

"Do you not hear that?" Gail said, clutching at Chuck. "Cas is screaming!"

"No one's screaming, Gail," Chuck said, frowning.

And it was true. Cas wasn't screaming at all. Jason had hung one of Rowena's hex bags over the door that led to the room where he was holding Cas, and it was the spell produced by Rowena's magic that made Gail hear Cas scream. Jason could hear her shouting out in the hall, and a slow smile crept over his face.

"Why is she shouting like that?" Castiel asked him, agitated.

"Because she's listening to you screaming right now," Jason replied smugly. "Or at least, she thinks she is." Jason had to hand it to Rowena. She certainly knew how to wring the maximum anguish out of a spell.

Cas was angry, and the vein in his neck started to pulse again. Jason was staring at it, fascinated. Lucifer had told Jason that he could play with the couple as he wished, but he wasn't allowed to do any lasting damage to either of them before Lucifer got there. But the urge was too overwhelming, though Jason did hold back at the last moment, out of deference to Lucifer. He leaned forward and sank his teeth into Castiel's neck, feeding on the vein gently, as Benny had showed him how to do.

Cas hissed in pain, but he closed his eyes and bore it as stoically as he could. He'd seen Jason hanging the hex bag over the door, and he understood that there was some kind of a spell in play here. Perhaps Gail wasn't outside the door at all; maybe this was just Jason, playing games with him. But if she was out there, he did not want to shout, and alarm her.

Jason was licking Castiel's neck now, draining his blood efficiently. His fangs were sharp, and they hurt, but Jason was not tearing at his flesh, as he'd done with Oliver. Or, Cas thought with a wave of self-loathing, as Cas himself had done to Gail. Of all of the things he had done to her back then, that was arguably the worst. He hadn't had the finesse that Jason was demonstrating now, either. Demon Cas had just bitten her, like an animal.

Jason pulled away from Castiel and looked him in the eyes, smiling. Cas's blood was smeared on Jason's mouth, and Cas felt nauseous looking at it. That was what Sam and Dean had seen on him, when Cas had done it to Gail. How they must have felt seeing that, and how poor Gail must have felt having to endure it, was beyond Cas.

Outside, Gail had broken free from Chuck, and she grabbed the handle of the door and pushed it open. Chuck stumbled into the room right behind her, and Jason cursed loudly. He'd wanted Gail, only. Jason used his blade to cut the hex bag down, and he waved it over the door as Rowena had advised, sealing it. There. No more unwanted guests.

While Jason was doing this, Gail ran to Cas and put her hand on his neck immediately, healing him. He looked at her gratefully, but with anguish in his eyes. He'd hoped she would not come here. He could do nothing to defend her chained up like this, and her and Chuck's Demon knives could not kill Jason. And Jason had an Angel blade, a vampire's fangs, and an appetite for revenge.

"I'm so sorry, Gail," Cas said quietly. She touched his face. "Don't worry, Cas. We'll figure something out," Gail said to him.

She wheeled around, just in time to see Chuck attacking Jason with his Demon knife. Jason was laughing, holding Chuck off easily. Then he grabbed the Angel by the throat and held him up against the wall, chaining him up next to Cas.

Then Jason turned to Gail, and she lowered her knife. "Very sensible," he said, smiling.

"What do you want, Jason?" Gail asked him. "Are you holding us here for Lucifer?"

He continued to smile. "Maybe," he said. "Or maybe I won't even wait for him to get here."

"To do what?" Gail said tartly. "Kill us?" She was backing away from Jason, stalling for time until she could figure out what to do. She glanced at the door. Where were Ethan, Sam, and Dean? Maybe the four of them could overpower Jason somehow, and then Sam and Dean could kill him.

Jason bared his fangs. "No," he said shortly.

Then Gail got it, and she rushed Jason out of desperation. She succeeded in stabbing him once with her knife, but then he twisted her wrist, making her drop it. Then Jason grabbed her and slammed her down into one of the chairs on the floor, binding her to it.

Gail's eyes were wide with terror. Jason had already bitten Cas, at least once. How many did it take? She looked at the door to the room. "Dean! Sam!" she shouted. "We're in here!"

"Save your breath," Jason told her. "They are unable to hear you, and they cannot enter. This is between you and Castiel and I." He glared at Chuck. "I will kill the other one. Or, maybe I will keep him around, for nourishment," Jason continued. "Angel blood is pure, and rich, perhaps surprisingly so. Now I can understand why Castiel enjoyed feeding on you, Gail." Chuck started at that. What? He had seen a couple of things in his recent visions, but he had not understood the significance, nor necessarily believed what he was seeing. "You were still mostly Angel at the time," Jason continued. "Although the addition of Crowley's blood and his own must have made for a very interesting cocktail, indeed." Now Chuck got it. Jason was crazy. That had to be the only explanation for the outrageous things he was saying.

"You're disgusting," Gail snapped. She could see Cas's blood on Jason's mouth, and the sight of it was making her feel sick.

"Am I?" Jason asked her disdainfully. "Well, at least I have an excuse. I need it to live, thanks to you and Castiel." He raised his blade and cut her arms and legs with it. "And now, I will hunger for it for the rest of my days!" Jason thundered. "And it's all - " slash - "your" - slash - "fault!" He was really getting into the part now. This was fun.

Both Castiel and Chuck were screaming at Jason to stop it, as Gail cried out in pain. Then Jason made a small cut at the base of her throat, and he bent to lick the blood that had bloomed there. "Interesting," he said, leaning in close to look at her. "Quite alike, yet quite different, as well. I can't quite put my finger on it. You and Castiel make a good combination. Much like vanilla and chocolate."

Cas was silently crying now. "Don't infect her, Jason, please," he begged.

"But, why would you not want me to?" Jason smiled, standing up and looking at him. "Then she can turn you, and then the two of you could be together forever. I'd actually be doing you a favour."

"They're together forever right now, you loser," Chuck piped up, in his most sardonic voice. "They're Angels."

Jason looked at Chuck calmly, waggling his Angel blade, and Chuck's mouth closed with a snap. Jason approached Castiel and looked him in the eye. "You have a great capacity for violence, but you have no idea what it feels like to drain the life's blood out of someone," Jason said to Cas. "You're taking all of their power into yourself. You and Gail can feed on each other for pleasure, but you could use others, such as this one - " he gestured towards Chuck with the blade " - to bolster yourself. You could be an Alpha, Castiel. You always did love power." He looked down at Castiel's pulsing vein, and bit him again.

"No!" Gail screamed. Cas had made a sound of discomfort, but Gail wasn't as much worried about his pain at the moment as she was worried about the implications of what Jason was doing to him. Exactly how many bites did it take to turn someone? "Bite me instead, Jason!" Gail yelled at him in desperation. "I'm sure I'll taste better!"

Jason was amused. He had originally been planning to turn Gail, but now that he'd had Castiel twice, Jason thought he might just stick with her boyfriend instead. "Don't worry, Gail, I'm not hurting him. Well, not that much, anyway," Jason told her. "I know how to do it the right way. But if you feel he needs healing, I can release you and you can heal him, if you like. And then you can have him bite you. He'll be growing fangs shortly, so it won't hurt you as much as it used to."

"That will never happen," Cas said, fuming. "I will have her kill me, first."

"Really?" Jason scoffed. "Don't forget, I saw you when you were at your worst, Castiel. If she didn't kill you then, she never will. But look at it this way, Castiel; I'm doing you a huge favour. Lucifer informed me as to the extent of your activities with Gail when the two of you were in private, and it seems to me that you both enjoyed that activity a little more than you're letting on."

"That's a lie," Castiel spat out. He looked at Gail with anguish in his eyes. "I did not enjoy hurting you, Gail. I never did."

Gail was agitated. "I know that, Cas," she told him. "I know that. Lucifer's a liar. We've seen that for ourselves."

Chuck was looking from Jason to Gail to Cas and then back again. He himself had wondered exactly what Jason was talking about. He knew more than anyone in their group about the things that went on between Cas and Gail in private due to his visions, but he couldn't recall ever seeing any sign of pain from either one of them, only extreme pleasure. Chuck knew about vampirism, of course, and he knew that some couples incorporated it into their intimate activities. It seemed to Chuck that the line between pain and pleasure was sometimes very blurred, or at least, in Chuck's mind, it was.

But it wasn't in Gail's; not at all. She was very happy to give and receive all the pleasure there was with Cas, but there was no way that what Jason had been talking about had been pleasurable to her. "I won't live like that," she said to Cas. "I can't do it."

"Nor can I," Cas said to her, nodding his head in agreement. So they had their understanding, now. If Jason succeeded in turning either one of them, they would have no choice but to end the other one. Gail had once thought the prospect of Hell to be the worst thing imaginable, but she'd been wrong. Existing the way that Jason did now would be worse. There was no way she or Castiel could do that. Hopefully, it would not come to that. But how were they going to prevent it from happening?

Sam and Dean and Ethan were trying to break down the door from the outside, but it wouldn't budge. They were yelling out Gail's and Cas's and Chuck's names, but they could hear nothing coming from inside the room. Was the room soundproofed? It was extremely frustrating. How could they help their friends if they couldn't get to them?

"Call Crowley," Sam said to Dean. "Tell him to get his designer-suit-wearing ass down here and get us in this damn room!"

Dean lifted an eyebrow at his brother's tone, but he obediently took his cell phone out of his pocket and punched the button. When Crowley answered, Dean told him that Jason had Gail now too, and they had no way to get to her.

Crowley debated with himself. Why the hell should he go there and help them? But he definitely didn't want Jason changing Gail into a vampire. Come to think of it, Castiel would be of no use to him as a vampire, either. The instant the couple became undead, they would likely be stripped of all their powers as Originals, and then Lucifer would have free rein because there would no longer be enough power to take him down. Like it or not, Crowley still needed the two of them to help him take care of Lucifer.

So he snapped his fingers and appeared in the hallway outside the room where the Angels were being held. But he couldn't get into the room, either. What the hell? There was no room in any Demon den that he couldn't enter. Being the King had its privileges.

There was also something Crowley knew that the others didn't. Paul was holding Kevin and Linda captive in the room across the hall. Or at least, he had been. Crowley could see into the room right now, and he saw that the Angels had overpowered Paul somehow, and Linda had him down on the ground. She was hog tying him, and when he cursed at her, Kevin kicked him in the head and told him to shut up. Crowley grinned. Yes, these Angels had definitely been trained by Castiel.

"What are you smiling about?" Dean snapped at him.

"Your ranks are about to increase," Crowley told him, and sure enough, Kevin and Linda came bursting through the door into the hallways. Kevin's eyes widened when he saw Crowley, but Linda merely scowled. "What's HE doing here?" she said to her friends.

Crowley understood her animosity towards him, but his smile faded a bit. "I came here to help," he told her. "Your Angels are in that room."

"I know that!" she exclaimed. "We were already in there! Well, let's go, then."

"We can't get in the room," Sam told her.

Linda looked at them angrily. "Great," she said. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Hi, Sarah. How've you been?"

Lucifer's voice, from behind Gail. She could feel his hands on her, but she realized from the way it felt that he was actually healing her, so she didn't move.

Then he came around to the other side of the chair and looked down at her. He was wearing his own face now. "So, we've recovered all of our memories, have we?" he said to her. "Bit of a double-edged sword, though, isn't it?"

"Yes, because that means I have to remember you," she retorted.

Chuck gasped, and he braced himself for the blow she was likely to receive. But Lucifer just laughed. "I've missed that tart little tongue," he said to Gail. "Pity you popped out from underneath me before I had the chance to give it another use."

He turned to look at Castiel. "My Brother," Lucifer said. "What's the matter? Not enjoying being on the receiving end?" He leaned closer to inspect Cas's neck, then he looked at Jason. "Good job," Lucifer said to Jason. "You've actually shown remarkable restraint here. For a change."

Then Lucifer moved in close to look at Chuck's face. Chuck tried to recoil, but of course, there was nowhere for him to go. "Chuck," Lucifer said calmly. "Poor, conflicted Chuck. Couldn't cut it as a bad guy, so now you're trying to be a good guy. But good guys don't peep into their friends' bedrooms, do they? Or, they shouldn't." Lucifer looked at Gail, then at Cas. "Your friend's been watching the two of you at your most intimate for quite some time now," he told them. "Sometimes he wants to be you, Gail, but most of the time he wants to be Castiel." Lucifer sneered at Cas. "For someone so repulsive, you certainly have a lot of people jealous of you."

Cas looked sideways at Chuck, who was horrified at the insinuation Lucifer was making. "No, Cas, he's lying," Chuck said hastily. "I mean, I love Gail and everything, but not in that way."

Cas smiled at their friend. "That's all right, Chuck. I wouldn't blame you if you did," he told Chuck. He wasn't sure if he believed Chuck or not, but Cas was no longer the Demon, so he was determined to remain calm. "But you should not be watching us in that manner," Castiel continued. "It's disrespectful to Gail, and I cannot allow it."

Chuck knew that Cas was right, of course. And he'd been trying to stop, but clearly, he had not been trying hard enough. "You're right, Cas," he said, shamefaced. "I promise you, I'll make myself stop."

Lucifer was smirking now. And people said that he was depraved. But he was disappointed. He had been hoping to make Castiel angry, but his tactic hadn't worked. Too bad Cas wasn't still the Demon. Lucifer could have just wound that guy up and watched him tear Chuck from limb to limb.

Still, Lucifer wanted to play with Chuck for a bit. There was just something about the guy that rubbed him the wrong way. "You want to be Heaven's big hero, don't you, Chuck? You want to be exalted and respected like Castiel, and you want all the perks that he's got. But that's never gonna happen, Chuck. No one trusts you, and no one likes you."

"That's not true," Gail said to Chuck. "Don't listen to him, Chuck. He just likes to mess with people."

Lucifer waved his hand, and the shackles disappeared from Chuck's wrists. "OK, here's your chance, Chuck. Overpower me and Jason, and you can save your friends."

Chuck looked at him, and at Jason. Jason had taken Chuck's knife from him, of course, and Chuck knew there was no way they were going to just let him rescue Cas and Gail. If he made even one move, Lucifer would wipe him from the face of the earth.

"What a coward you are," Lucifer said to Chuck. "A total waste of space. I should have freed Castiel instead. Even Gail would have given me more of a challenge." He waved his hand, and Chuck disappeared. The Angel reappeared out in the hallway, where the group gathered around him, asking him what was going on in the room.

Chuck was devastated, and he was angry. He was not a coward; he just wasn't interested in committing suicide, that was all. But Sam and Dean were looking at him skeptically. As if they could have done any better. This was the Devil they were talking about, and Chuck didn't even have a weapon. If the King of Hell couldn't do anything, how did they expect Chuck to?

Lucifer looked at Jason. "Go get Paul, and wait for me back at the base," he ordered.

"Paul?" Jason echoed.

Lucifer smirked again. "Yes. He let the mother-and-son tag team get the best of him. Off you go." He waved his hand, and Jason was instantly transported to the room across the hall.

"Alone at last," Lucifer said to Cas and Gail cheerfully. He put his hand on Cas's neck, healing the bite mark. "And just in time, too," Lucifer continued. "I'm pretty sure one or two more love bites would have done it. You're lucky I got here when I did, Cas." Then he looked at Gail. "Or should I say, YOU are," he said to her. "I don't imagine you'd like to go through that again. Even I'd be gentler to you than he would be."

Gail glared at Lucifer, but he was already looking at Cas again. "I'm here to offer you the deal of a lifetime," Lucifer said to Cas. "I know now that you're never going to stop pursuing me, and I don't want to be looking over my shoulder every five minutes. You two are a constant thorn in my side. So, if you leave me alone, I'll leave you alone."

Cas looked at Gail, and she looked back at him. This was weird, even for Lucifer. What kind of game was he playing now? The last time he had given them a "deal", they had been ripped apart for the better part of a year. But he had to know they weren't ever going to just leave him alone, no matter what he claimed he could offer them.

"All right," Castiel said sarcastically. "If you can guarantee eternal life and safety for Gail, I will agree to leave you alone. Eternal life as an Angel, that is," he added hastily. "No loopholes, nothing left to interpretation this time."

"Me too," Gail chimed in. "If you can offer the exact same thing with regard to Castiel, I'll agree to it, too."

Lucifer looked at them slyly. "What if I told you I could guarantee the very things you ask?"

"Then I would say, as the expression goes, that you are full of it," Castiel said disdainfully.

"You think so?" Lucifer said to him, raising an eyebrow. "I'm the Alpha Original, Castiel. Just as our Father initially gave us the power of revival, until he had a hissy fit and stripped it away from you and me, He also endowed me with the power to grant eternal existence."

"Prove it," Castiel said shortly. "Show us your blade."

Lucifer paled slightly. "I can't," he said quietly. "I don't have it at the moment."

"You don't have it," Cas repeated scornfully. "Well, isn't that convenient. So, we're just supposed to take your word for it, then. Since you're such an honest fellow."

"You're dreaming," Gail added. "As our amazing friend Dean would say, 'Not gonna happen'."

Cas was looking at Lucifer's face very closely now, and Cas's eyes narrowed with suspicion. There was something going on here. He had the feeling that Lucifer was nervous about something. But what could that possibly be? It seemed as though he was in the driver's seat right now. What could be scaring him enough to have prompted him to offer them their fondest desire, just so they would leave it alone?

What was scaring Lucifer at the moment? Simply this: One of his staunchest supporters was now threatening to offer him up to the Angels.

Mark had walked into the living room area of the mansion that they were currently occupying earlier that day, and he'd told Lucifer, "We have a big problem."

Lucifer had looked calmly at his disciple. "Oh? And what is that?"

"Luke called me on the private frequency we share," Mark said, frowning. He had Lucifer's attention now. Besides Mark, Luke was Lucifer's only Knight left. Satan had recruited the four Gospel writers at the very beginning of it all, and they had been loyal to him. But then John had been killed in Crowley's den, and Matthew had apparently committed suicide in Heaven. Luke was stationed in the Netherworld, and he had been there for eons, gathering intelligence from the elite souls who were ferried there by Death. Like the Originals, the Gospel writers also had a private frequency amongst themselves, and Luke had contacted Mark in this manner a few minutes ago.

"What did he want?" Lucifer asked curiously. "And why did he not call me directly?"

Mark frowned. "Because he's about to turn traitor," he told his Master. "He says he's tired of being stuck in the Netherworld. He told me he'd talked to you about it before, and you made him some empty promises about a transfer."

Lucifer shrugged. "I wouldn't call them empty promises, exactly. But I needed a representative in each of those realms, and he was perfectly happy to go there. And, I still need someone there. I've got Paul for Hell now, and I'll have one of the Angels for Heaven, soon. I've got you for Earth, so I still need someone in the Netherworld. He's just going to have to suck it up."

Mark's frown deepened. "He told me he figured you'd say that. He's threatening to tell them about the Tablets," he told Lucifer.

Lucifer stood up from his chair and turned his face to Mark, eyes blazing. "What?" he shouted. "How dare he?!" He waved both of his arms, and the furniture started to fly around the room. Lucifer flicked his fingers, and tables and chairs smashed against the walls. A lamp came flying at Mark's head, and he ducked just in time.

"I'm just the messenger, Master!" Mark exclaimed. "I'm only telling you this out of my loyalty to you!"

Lucifer tried to calm down. He supposed that Mark had a point, but it still made him furious that Luke was trying to blackmail him like this. Who the hell did Luke think he was? He was lucky that Lucifer couldn't get his hands on him. But then Lucifer started to think about the situation. What kind of a message would it send to Mark and the other disciples if Lucifer were to capitulate to Luke's demand? Lucifer was the Alpha of everything; it was him who gave the orders and set the conditions, no one else. And who was Luke going to tell, anyway? No one currently residing in the Netherworld could possibly pose a threat to Lucifer, even if they had the details on all of the Tablets.

But what if one of the God Squad should be murdered? Even Lucifer did not know which of them were currently on Death's assignment list. Lucifer had dispatched Paul to abduct Castiel by then, knowing that the others would follow, and he had planned a very nasty surprise for them when they had all gathered in one place. But now, he couldn't take that chance. Not without straightening Luke out first.

As he'd stood there panting, trying to get his temper under control, Lucifer realized that he'd better defer his chat with Luke until he was in a more conciliatory mood. So, even though he couldn't kill them all, as he'd been hoping, he could certainly play with them a bit. Playtime always cheered him up.

"When Paul gets back, tell him the God Squad Operation is off," Lucifer had snapped at Mark. He looked around the room. "And clean this up." Then he had vanished.

Mark had sighed, and then he had begun to clean up.

So now, ironically enough, Lucifer's priority was to keep them all alive, at least for the time being, until he could figure out what to do about Luke. The knowledge that Luke had amassed in the Netherworld over the centuries about the Tablets was extensive, and Luke now had the recipe for Lucifer's destruction. If any one of Bobby's group were to receive that information, they could build another cage in which to imprison him.

Lucifer wasn't above playing with all of them, but he had made sure to heal Gail and Castiel, and then to send Jason away so that neither Angel would wind up dead. If Jason had been able to turn either one of them, the other half of the couple would probably have done something stupidly noble like trying to kill the other, and Lucifer couldn't afford to take that chance. Lucifer knew that Castiel must definitely be slated for the Netherworld; he had been there briefly, until Crowley had stuck his nose in where it didn't belong and revived their Brother. And Lucifer couldn't see that status changing any time soon. Castiel probably had the VIP suite all laid out for him, Lucifer thought resentfully. He had always been their Father's favourite. So it just naturally followed that Gail would also be assigned to the Netherworld now, too. Castiel was disgustingly monogamous, so she would be the only female companion he would want there. And since Gail was an Original, Lucifer supposed she could even warrant placement there on that basis alone. Rowena had made it simply because she was Crowley's mother. So for the moment, Lucifer had to keep Heaven's Golden Couple safe at all costs; he couldn't have Jason giving either one of them the thrashing of their existences, though Lucifer knew that had been Jason's plan. Fortunately, the couple of nibbles that Castiel had suffered had done no lasting damage.

But Castiel was looking at Lucifer now, and Lucifer could see the wheels spinning in his Brother's head. When he wasn't busy being a violent brute, Castiel was actually very intelligent, and perhaps Lucifer's poker face needed work. The fact that he had healed their injuries and tried to make a Devil's bargain with them had signaled to Castiel that there was something amiss. It was time for a distraction, to get his Brother's mind off the subject.

Lucifer waved his hands, and suddenly, Kevin and Linda were standing in front of him. They looked at him, wide-eyed, and then they looked at Cas and Gail.

"Are you guys all right?" Kevin asked them.

"Strangely, yes," Cas replied in a thoughtful tone. He was still trying to figure out what Lucifer's game was. If Castiel had been Lucifer, they would all have been dead by now. Why keep your enemies alive in such a fashion, even going so far as to heal their injuries and protect them from Jason? Why did Lucifer seem so afraid of Cas and Gail being hurt, all of a sudden?

Lucifer waved his hand again, and Kevin and Linda's Demon knives disappeared from their hands. But Linda charged him anyway, and she attempted to kick Lucifer in the crotch. He grinned, catching her foot in mid-motion, and he flung her backwards against the wall.

"That particular move had to have come from a Winchester," Lucifer said cheerfully. He looked at Kevin. "Your mother's quite the little spitfire, isn't she? I usually like them a little more submissive."

"Don't talk smack about my mother," Kevin said sharply.

"Oedipus says what?" Lucifer said to him. Kevin looked puzzled. Lucifer looked at Castiel. "The younger generation," he said to Cas, shaking his head. "It wouldn't kill them to pick up a book every now and then."

Linda had gotten up off the floor, and she charged Lucifer again. He'd known she was going to do that, of course, and he turned around just as she got to him. "Easy, there," he said, amused, as Linda took a swing at him. He grabbed both of her arms and shoved her up against the wall, immobilizing her, and he stared down at her face. "If you had your life to live over, would you have married Kelvin?" Lucifer said to her. "Or would you have been an artist instead, like you wanted? I could make that happen, if you want," he told her. Then he glanced back at Kevin, who was trying to screw up the courage to attack. "Of course, that would mean you never would have had Kevin," Lucifer continued, looking at Linda again. "But, who needs him? He's a whiny, wimpy kid, anyway." Lucifer let Linda go, and then he put his hand on her forehead. "You're gonna have to stop attacking me every time I turn around, or you'll be extremely sorry." She slumped to the floor.

"Mom!" Kevin yelled.

"She's all right," Lucifer told him. "She's not even unconscious. I just didn't want her attacking me every few seconds. It's getting really annoying."

He walked over to Kevin, and he looked the young Angel in the eye. "And what about you, Kevin? When ARE you going to become a man, anyway? How long has Heaven had those new laws? Why aren't you sticking it to sweet, sweet Becky on a regular basis? Oh, sorry. I guess I do know why, after all. It's because she doesn't want you, she wants an actual man," Lucifer taunted him.

Gail was angry. Poor Kevin didn't deserve that. She knew what it was like to have issues with self-esteem, and she could see from Kevin's expression that Lucifer's words were wounding him. "Oh, just shut up," she said to Lucifer. "As if YOU would know anything about that. Aren't you still waiting for your first actual experience in that area?"

Lucifer turned away from Kevin and rushed over to her, seizing her by her hair. He made a motion to unzip his pants. "We could fix that, right now," he said, his eyes blazing. "Maybe choking you is the only way to shut you up."

Cas was struggling against the chains, even though he knew it was no use. "Take your hands off of her!" he shouted.

Lucifer took a deep breath to calm himself down. The way he'd been feeling a moment ago, if he actually did what he had suggested that he was going to do, he could indeed very well choke her. He needed them alive. He couldn't forget that. So he let go of her head and forced himself to smile.

"Aaah, forget about it," Lucifer said to her. "You would only be thinking about him, anyway." He jerked his head at Castiel.

Lucifer walked back to Kevin as Gail let out the breath she'd been holding. For a moment there, she had been afraid that she'd finally pushed Lucifer too far. She looked at Cas, who was glaring at Lucifer.

"Why are you just walking around here and talking?" Castiel said to Lucifer. "Why haven't you killed me by now? We all know I'm your biggest threat. The fact that you haven't already done so makes me highly suspicious. What is it, Lucifer? What's got you so scared?"

Linda was still on the floor, but she was stirring, fighting the dizziness she felt. She'd seen and heard everything that Lucifer was doing, and she appreciated her friends' attempts to keep the Devil from focusing on her son. Kevin was pressed up against the opposite wall, cowering as Lucifer approached him. She had to get him away from her son. So she struggled to her feet and crossed the room with a mighty effort. She launched herself onto Lucifer's back and started pounding on him with her fists. "Leave him alone!" she yelled.

Lucifer was really annoyed now. This woman had to stop. Nothing she could do would really hurt him, of course, but she was like that one persistent housefly that kept buzzing at your face, no matter how many times you batted it away. He threw her off, and when she landed on the floor, he reached down and grabbed her by the throat, hauling her to her feet.

"I told you to stop that. Didn't your parents ever tell you that the man is supposed to be the boss?" Lucifer snarled in her face.

"Yeah, they tried to, and that's why I got married," Linda retorted. "But it's also why I got a divorce. You're not the boss of anyone, let alone me. You're just a filthy pig. Here, have some holy water." Then she spat in Lucifer's face.

"You bitch!" he roared. He reached out with the hand that wasn't on her neck and grabbed her head, twisting it to the side. He could hear and feel her neck snap underneath his fingers. He let her drop to the ground, where she lay lifeless.

"There," Lucifer said, dusting off his hands. He looked at Kevin, whose mouth had fallen open in shock. "Sorry, Kev," Lucifer said, smirking. "But even you've gotta admit, she was a pain in the ass." He wiped the spittle off his face with his sleeve. "And SHE called ME a pig. Spitting right in my face. Really, who does that?" he said to the room in general.

"She was just trying to protect her son," Gail said angrily. "There was no need for you to do that."

Lucifer looked at her. She was right, of course. He had promised himself he wasn't going to kill any of them, and now he'd gone and done it anyway. But he highly doubted that Linda Tran would warrant any special placement. She was just an ordinary Angel. She'd probably be back in Heaven helicoptering over Kevin by suppertime.

Still, Gail was starting to get on his nerves now, so he walked over to her chair and knelt down beside her.

"You know, it's amazing to me how someone so unloved by her own parents can be so mouthy," Lucifer said to her.

Gail looked at him suspiciously. Was he talking about her and Frank's parents, or her real ones, whoever they were? But then she shook her head. Did it really matter? She knew how Lucifer operated by now.

"You were abandoned as a baby, you know," Lucifer continued. "Even back then, your real parents knew that you were an abomination. That's why you've felt so alone your whole life. That's why no one wants you around. Frank's parents adopted you out of pity, but they didn't love you, they just loved him. And he only took you out of obligation, once they were killed. Many times he thought about just leaving you to fend for yourself in one of those motel rooms, just getting in the car and driving away. You thought he kicked you off the truck that night to save you, but it was really just to get rid of you. Sam and Dean keep hoping you'll just move out of the bunker and stay out, but you keep on going back, and they don't have the balls to tell you they don't want you there. And I'll bet Castiel has made all kinds of noises about the two of you getting another place too, but I don't see the two of you getting one. He was probably hoping that you would finally get the message. You're good enough to take to bed in a hotel, but you're not good enough for a permanent relationship. You know that, don't you?"

"He's a liar!" Cas exclaimed. "Don't believe a word he says, Gail. None of it is true. We all love you. I love you."

Gail looked away from Lucifer. Of course she knew that he was a liar, but his words hurt, all the same. When she and Cas had been separated, she had worked very hard on raising her self-esteem, but Lucifer had known just where to go to hurt her the most. Why HADN'T she and Cas moved out of the bunker by now? And she knew that she drove Dean and Sam nuts sometimes, and Frank, too. Had Cas also decided that she was only OK in smaller doses, maybe? If she stayed in the bunker, Cas could be around her if he chose, but he could also leave her there for the others to deal with when she got a bit too much to handle sometimes. Then they could just pop over to the hotel room in Vancouver, have a few hot and sexy hours, and then come back. Had he even mentioned anything about them getting another place together? She couldn't remember.

Cas saw the expression on Gail's face, and his heart sank. Lucifer had gotten into her head now, and Cas could see the self-doubt in her eyes. He was an expert when it came to that look; he'd certainly seen it in the mirror enough times. "Don't, Gail," he pleaded. "Please, don't listen to him."

Lucifer rose to his feet and strolled over to Castiel. "And why shouldn't she?" he said to Cas. "Am I not speaking the truth?" He leaned in closer to Cas's face. "Doesn't she drive you nuts sometimes? She does whatever she wants to do, and she says whatever she wants to say. How many times have you tried to tell her to do something that's for her own good that she completely ignores? Didn't a part of you like her better when she was submitting to your will, instead of trying to wear the pants?" Lucifer sneered.

"No," Cas snapped.

"Hey, it's your life," Lucifer said, shrugging. "If you don't mind being whipped, it's no skin off my nose." But then he frowned. Castiel was proving to be a much tougher nut to crack than he'd thought. Was it possible that his Brother had finally learned to practice a little self-control? Wonders never ceased. He looked over at Kevin, but the young Angel was slumped on the floor, sniveling about his mother. Lucifer smirked. Young Kevin obviously didn't get it. His mother was an Angel. As Lucifer hadn't killed her with an Angel blade, her soul would just be back in the Garden, waiting for reanimation.

Lucifer rolled his eyes, looking at Castiel again. "You seem to be the only one I can talk to right now who might provide me with a bit of a challenge," he said to Cas. "Those two are a little too Eeyore for me right now," he added, jerking his head at Kevin, who was crying, and Gail, who was sitting quietly. Probably thinking about what he had said to her, wondering if there was not a grain or two of truth in there somewhere. At least her mouth was shut for a change. He should have thought of that earlier; much, much earlier. "Let's dance," he said to Cas. He waved his hand, and one of the shackles binding Castiel to the wall flew open, freeing Cas's right arm. Lucifer grabbed Cas's arm and held his hand up, touching Cas's palm with his own.

"Are you sure I can't persuade you into joining my team?" Lucifer said, smiling. "With our combined power and your delicious temper, we could really do some business." A green glow emanated from Lucifer's hand as Castiel's eyes flashed bright blue. Then the blue glow came out of Cas's hand and merged with Lucifer's, creating a brilliant yellow.

"Look at that," Lucifer marveled. "The colour of the sun. Well, I am the Prince of Light, after all." He continued to smile. "I could lay all of the Earth's riches at your feet, Cas. You and your precious Winchesters could rule the place. And I could give you women that would make Gail look like a boy. Sweet, submissive women. How does that sound?"

Cas laughed derisively. "You just don't get it, do you?" he said to Lucifer. "Why would you ever think that an offer such as that would be of appeal to me?"

Lucifer was smirking now. "Because you crave power, and because your girlfriend is an unwanted little piece of gutter trash. An Angel of your stature deserves so much better, Castiel."

Cas's eyes flashed a brilliant blue, and the yellow glow that their combined essences had produced became blinding. The shackle that still bound his left arm to the wall burst into flames, and Castiel pulled his arm away from the wall. He threw Lucifer to the ground and pressed the chain to Lucifer's throat, choking him.

Lucifer was surprised by the speed with which Castiel had turned the tables on him, and he panicked for a moment, clutching at Cas's arms. But the Angel's grip was tightening, and Lucifer's head was starting to swim. If he were to blast Castiel at such close range, Lucifer would surely obliterate him. Was Castiel trying to get Lucifer to kill him?

Lucifer couldn't afford to kill Castiel right now, not until he figured out what to do about Luke. But Castiel would be killing Lucifer in a minute, if he didn't cut his losses and run. He waved his hand, vanishing from the den.

Cas was on his knees, panting. The pulse was beating in his head so strongly that his head felt like it was going to explode. In another minute, Lucifer would have been dead, or at least, his vessel would have been. And if his vessel had been killed before his essence had left it, Lucifer would have been no more. Just one more minute, and Cas would have taken Lucifer's head clean off his body and shut his filthy mouth for good.

He looked up at Gail just as the door to the room burst open. Their friends rushed in, and Crowley strolled in behind them. Cas tried to get to his feet, but his own head was swimming, from the rage and the adrenaline. He needed a moment to regroup. He nodded at Dean, who nodded back and went to Gail's chair. He started to cut her free from the ropes with his knife.

Ethan went to Kevin, crouching down to look at his friend's face, which was still wet with tears. "Kevin?" Ethan said to him. "Are you OK? Where's your mom?"

Kevin pointed, and Crowley looked down at his feet to see Linda's body laying there.

"Lucifer killed her," Kevin said dazedly. "He just grabbed her and twisted her head and..." His voice broke.

Crowley was shaking his head slowly. He wondered why Lucifer would have gone for Linda, when he'd clearly had both Gail and Castiel incapacitated and at his mercy. He looked at Castiel, who was now slowly rising to his feet.

"Now, why on earth would he not have killed you?" Crowley asked Cas. Dean looked up sharply from his crouched position behind Gail's chair, frowning, but Cas smiled grimly. "I wondered the same thing myself," Cas said to the King of Hell. "In fact, he seemed to be taking great pains not to harm us." He looked at Gail, who returned his gaze. "Well, not physically, anyway."

Dean had Gail's ropes cut now, and she thanked him, stretching and shaking her arms out for a moment. Then she rose from the chair and rushed over to Cas. He put his arms around her and embraced her tightly. She could feel that he was still shaking. "He was lying to you, Gail," Cas said softly. "About all of it. Everything."

"I know, Cas," she said against his chest. "I know." He felt solid and strong, and she thanked God that Jason hadn't been given the opportunity to spend more time messing with him. She pulled out of the embrace and looked at Crowley. "You came back?" she asked him.

"Once they told me YOU were captive, I rushed right here, sweetheart," Crowley said, smirking at Castiel.

Cas rolled his eyes. "Well, as usual, you're too late," he said to his Brother. "I almost had him, too."

"Also, as per usual," Crowley said dryly.

Cas counted to ten. Then he said, "Paul set me up."

Crowley sighed. "So it would seem. I had nothing to do with that, Castiel. It would appear that Paul has chosen his side."

"Let's go," Dean said to the group, "before we get any unwanted guests."

Sam looked down at Linda's body, then back up at Cas. "Bring her, please," Cas said. "We'll take her vessel back to Heaven, and Bobby can meet her in the Garden to reanimate her."

Kevin perked up. "So, she's not dead?" he said.

Cas almost smiled, but he decided that would be insensitive, so he did not. "She's an Angel, Kevin," he told the young Prophet. "As she was not killed with an Angel blade, her essence still remains."

Kevin's face lit up, and Chuck clapped his friend on the shoulder. Truthfully, Chuck had been scared. After all this time, he still wasn't sure how these things worked. He and Ethan exchanged relieved glances, smiling. "Let's go, Kevin. She'll probably be pissed off if you make her wait too long," Ethan said.

Kevin looked at Cas gratefully, but he was feeling embarrassed now. Here he had been, bawling like a little baby, and his mother was going to be just fine. Cas must think he was the biggest wuss ever.

But Castiel was looking at Kevin with sympathy. Regardless of whether he had known if Linda would be all right, Cas could understand what a traumatic experience seeing his mother killed so cruelly would be for the young Angel. Castiel had both witnessed and perpetrated thousands of murders, and he knew that it was always different when it came to your loved ones. Look at Castiel himself, most recently when Gail had been shot in Los Angeles. He'd known intellectually that she was an Angel and therefore, getting shot would not kill her or even seriously harm her. But emotionally, it was quite a separate issue. The same thing went every time something of that nature happened to her, and it had happened way too often. When you loved someone to the utmost, seeing them hurt was like receiving that same hurt yourself, a thousand-fold. Every time she'd died, or appeared to, a part of him died with her. Every single time.

Cas took Gail's hand and led their group out of the Demon den. He was almost hoping that they would be attacked on their way out, just to provide him with an outlet for his anger at Lucifer having gotten away. But their party was not accosted, and soon they found themselves back outside, in the alleyway.

Cas turned to Gail. "Can you please escort the Musketeers to Bobby's office and let him know what has transpired here? Sam, please give Linda's - Linda, to Chuck, and he will take her to Bobby to perform the integration. I have something I need to take care of. I'll see you back at the bunker," he told her.

Gail frowned. He had just taken off by himself and look at what had happened. And now he wanted to do it again? "Why? Where are you going now?" she said warily.

Cas smiled and kissed her on the forehead. He'd known this was going to make her crazy. But he also knew that despite her protests to the contrary, what Lucifer had said to her was going to prey on her mind. And their close shaves with Jason and with Lucifer had served to remind him that life was precious and sometimes fleeting, and their Father's gifts should never be taken for granted. It had been long enough.

"Nowhere dangerous, I promise you," Cas told her softly. "I just need to borrow Sam and Dean for a while, and I'm relying on you to make sure that Kevin and Linda are taken care of. Will you please do that for me?" He was appealing to her emotions now by referring to the mother and son, but it was for the best cause possible. And, the mission was legitimate; Bobby should be informed as to what had transpired here, and the sooner they could get him to return Linda to her vessel, the better Kevin would feel.

"What about what we discussed before?" Crowley said pointedly to the two of them. He was referring to Gail's training, of course, but he was trying to be discreet in front of the Angels, and especially in front of the Winchesters. "Considering what happened here, or more to the point, what could have happened, don't you think it would be especially advisable now?"

Castiel nodded. He actually did agree. But he still felt that what he had to do now took precedence. So he said, "We'll be in touch very soon." Crowley gave a half-shrug and snapped himself back to Hell.

Gail looked at Cas again. "Do you absolutely promise me you're not going to go off and do something incredibly dangerous and stupidly heroic while I'm gone?" she said, smiling.

Cas returned her smile, and he kissed her again. She was so cute, and she had been so brave back there, facing Lucifer as she had. "I absolutely promise," he told her.

So Gail nodded and then looked around. She saw that Chuck was carrying Linda's poor vessel in his arms, and Kevin had his hand on his mother's head. She could find out what Cas had been up to with Sam and Dean later, but right now, the mother-and-son reunion was top priority. So she gave Cas a quick kiss on the lips and said she'd see him soon, and then she and the Angels ascended.

The instant that Gail disappeared, Cas called Bobby and told their friend what he was planning to do with Sam and Dean, and he asked Bobby to keep Gail occupied in Heaven for as long as he could. Bobby had said he'd do his best. "Cas?" he said, before Cas disconnected. "Yes, Bobby?" Cas asked. "It's about damn time," Bobby said in a thick voice, and then he hung up.

Cas smiled, then he looked at Dean and Sam. "It seems that there was a silver lining to this whole thing," Cas told them. "I've heard that New York City has the finest jewellery stores in America."

The brothers smiled back. "Ordinarily, this wouldn't be our particular area of expertise," Sam said. "Do you know what you want to get? Or how much you want to spend?"

Dean was nodding. "Yeah, those things don't come cheap, Cas. At least, not the better ones. Do you need some help?"

"Of course I need some help," Cas said, puzzled. "That's why I wanted you both to come with me."

"No, I meant...financial help," Dean said.

Cas smiled. "Thank you, Dean, but I've got that all arranged. In fact, why don't you and Sam go have a drink, while I go and get the money?"

The men walked around the corner and found a bar, where the Winchesters each ordered a beer. Dean took a long sip. "Take your time, Cas," he said, smiling.

Cas went into the mens' room and popped himself out of the bar. He appeared at Barry and Tommy's door.

Barry opened the door to Cas's knock, and he grinned widely when he saw their friend. "Cas! What a nice surprise!" He looked behind Cas. "Where's Gail?"

"She's in Heaven right now, taking care of something," Cas told him. "The reason I'm here now, without her, is to take care of that little matter that you and I and Tommy discussed at the casino."

Barry had momentarily frowned when Cas said that Gail wasn't with him, but his face lit up now. "You're going to go get it now?" he asked Cas.

"Yes, Barry," Cas confirmed, answering Barry's smile with one of his own. "Sam and Dean are waiting for me in New York. I'm here to pick up the money that Tommy was holding for me."

"You mean this money here?" Tommy said. He produced the sheaf of bills he'd received when he had cashed out his and Cas's chips that day. He gave the money to Cas, and then he and Barry put their arms around each other.

"I can't wait to hear all the details about the proposal," Barry said to Cas.

"You will," Cas said, still smiling. "If not from Gail, then from me."

"I want to hear it from the both of you, together," Barry said. "When are you going to do it? And where?"

"And, how?" Tommy added. He'd been amused at Barry's eagerness at first, but truthfully, Tommy was excited for their friends too, and he really wanted to know.

"You'll get all the details afterwards, I promise," Cas said evasively. "But I'd better get going now. I'm not sure how long Bobby can keep her occupied, and I don't want the surprise spoiled."

"Bobby?" Barry said.

Cas smiled again. "Sorry. You would know him as God." His friends' mouths hung open as Cas thanked them for their help and winked himself back to New York.

When they got to Heaven, Gail asked the three male Angels to take Linda's body to Kevin's mom's residence. "I need to talk to Bobby alone for a minute," she told them.

Gail told Bobby nearly everything that had happened in the den in New York, leaving out only the personal things that Lucifer had said to her and Cas.

"We're going to have to talk about a bunch of things," Gail said in conclusion, "but right now, I think the main priority is to get Linda back into her body."

Bobby nodded. "Right. I'll pop over to the Garden. See you in a minute."

Gail sat down across from Bobby's desk, waiting for him to return. She looked at the desk's surface. Clean as a whistle, she thought with some amusement. But then her smile faded. They were really in a mess here. She and Cas had better have that meeting with Crowley as soon as possible. If Bobby no longer had his Godly powers, it would fall to them to take Lucifer down.

Bobby reappeared in front of her, and he was frowning. "She's not there," he said.

"What do you mean, she's not there?" Gail asked him.

"Just what I said," Bobby shot back. "Linda's not in the Garden."

Gail's forehead wrinkled. "So, what does that mean? Where is she, then?"

"I don't know, Gail. All I know is, she's not here," Bobby replied. He began to pace the floor. "Where the hell could she have gone" he mused aloud. "There's no way she went to Hell, or to Purgatory."

"How about Limbo?" Gail suggested. "That's where she went before, when Jason killed her. That's where Cas brought her back from, when he was God."

Bobby stopped pacing. "I get what you're saying, Gail, but that wouldn't make any sense. She was a human then. She's an Angel now, and I don't think Angels go to Limbo."

"Well, could you check?" Gail said, agitated. But Bobby frowned again, and she realized what the problem was before he said it. "You can't, can you?" she said.

"Only God can go to the other realms," Bobby confirmed. He was extremely frustrated now. Of all the boneheaded things Bobby had ever done, resigning as God had been the stupidest. He let out a breath. "We're gonna have to figure something out, Gail," he said to her.

She opened her mouth to ask him what that could possibly be, but then she closed it again. Gail could see how upset Bobby was, and there was no reason to frustrate him even more. But she knew that something would have to be done about the situation, and soon.

"I'll go talk to Kevin," she said, rising from her chair. "I'll tell him..." Gail shrugged. "I don't know what I'll tell him. I'll figure it out when I get there." She walked to the door, then she turned back to look at Bobby again. "Cas and I will still report to you, but I think we're going to have to go off book if we're going to get rid of Lucifer and his band of thugs," she told Bobby. "We'll be in touch." Then she left the office.

They had been to three jewelry stores now, and Dean was starting to get impatient. He realized how important choosing the right ring would be to Cas, or to any guy, really. But they hadn't seen anything that had even come close to meeting Cas's impossibly high expectations.

"What do you want, Cas?" Dean asked him in frustration.

But that was just it; Cas didn't really know. He was sure he would recognize the right one when he saw it, but he couldn't articulate what he wanted the ring to look like. It had to be beautiful, unique, and perfect, just as Gail herself was. He said this to Dean now.

"Oh, well, if that's all, we should be able to find it, no problem," Sam said, smirking. "Why don't you just go up to the moon and get a couple of moon rocks, then? I bet you not too many women have a ring made out of materials from space."

He'd been kidding, but Cas appeared to consider that for a moment. Then he shook his head, and Dean rolled his eyes. "What?" he groused. "Not special enough?"

"No, it isn't," Cas insisted. "Moon rocks are actually very dull in colour. The ring should sparkle."

"Let me guess: because Gail's eyes sparkle," Sam said, smiling genuinely now.

Cas looked at him calmly. Yes, Sam would know about that, wouldn't he? There was a time when a remark like that would have made Cas crazy. But he wasn't that guy any more, and he knew he had no reason to feel insecure about Gail and any other man. "That's right, Sam," he said, nodding his head.

The clerk at the counter cleared his throat. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

Cas turned around to look at him. "Yes. Can you show us some engagement rings, please?" he asked the man.

The clerk was looking at the three of them, wondering what the situation was here. Were two of them a couple? If so, which ones were they? Two of the men were dressed alike, so it could be them. But the man in the black shirt and blue jeans was the one who was asking. All three guys were tall, and extremely good-looking. Maybe once he found out who was who, Clive should ask the other one out.

"Which one of you is the ring for?" Clive asked them.

"It's for me," the man in the black shirt said.

Clive looked at him appraisingly, noting that he had striking blue eyes. "It's a little unconventional, but maybe I'll recommend a sapphire," Clive said to him. "With your eyes, you could pull it off." He gestured to Sam and Dean. "Which of you gentlemen is his fiance?" Clive asked them.

Sam was amused. "I think there's been a misunderstanding," he told the clerk.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "We're not - " he looked at Cas, who was regarding him with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, he's not - I'm not - " Cas's eyebrows were practically under his hairline now, and Dean figured he'd better choose his words carefully. Cas got mad whenever Dean said anything that could even remotely be interpreted as being homophobic.

Sam was grinning, enjoying Dean's discomfort. "You guys aren't - what?" Sam asked his brother.

Cas's look was growing dark now, so Dean gave up, smiling thinly at the clerk. "I'm sure anything you could show us will be perfectly lovely," Dean said to him.

Clive told them to wait there a moment, and he disappeared into the back of the store.

Sam nudged Dean. "Where are you and Cas registered?"

"You think you're pretty funny, don't you?" Dean grumbled.

"Yes. Yes, I do," Sam replied cheerfully.

"We could probably use some new dishes," Cas said casually. Both brothers looked at him. "I can be funny, too," Cas said, breaking into a grin.

As Sam and Dean were shaking their heads in wonder, Clive came back out to the counter. "I think I have the perfect ring for you," he said to Cas. "It's a one-of-a-kind original."

Cas moved forward eagerly as Clive opened the black velvet box. The ring was small, but it was breathtaking. The stone was a bright blue, and it sparkled against the gold setting.

"Sapphire usually comes in a silver setting," Clive told Cas. "This particular ring was manufactured differently, and we've had it on display for months, with no takers. I was about to send it back, actually. But I just had the feeling you might be the guy it was meant for. The blue matches your eyes."

Cas was entranced by the ring. The stone actually did match his eye colour, when his emotions were at their strongest. And blue was also the colour of his essence, as gold was the colour of Gail's. Why on earth would he want a silver ring? This one was beautiful, and it was perfect. And the clerk said that it was made differently, just as he and Gail had been. She would love that, and she would also love the fact that no one else had wanted it. She would probably make a joke about how soft-hearted Cas was, buying a ring that needed a home.

He looked up at the clerk, taking the money that Tommy had given him out of his pocket. "How much do you want for it?" Cas asked Clive.

Dean smacked his forehead with his palm, and Sam nudged Cas. "Ummm, Cas, can we talk to you for a minute?" Sam said.

"Sure," Cas replied, and he moved away from the counter.

"Cas, you never take out all your money, show it to a guy, and ask him how much of it he wants," Dean said sardonically.

"Yeah, Cas. He'll rip you off," Sam agreed.

Cas was smiling. "It doesn't matter," he said.

"What do you mean, it doesn't matter?" Dean said irritably.

"It doesn't matter," Cas repeated. "He may very well do that. But that's the ring that I want, and it's the ring that Gail has to have. So it doesn't matter how much of this money that he wants. He can have it all."

Sam and Dean looked at each other, then back at Cas. Dean shook his head slowly. He knew there was no sense arguing with Cas now. Once he got his mind set on something, he could be as stubborn as Gail. Dean was actually thrilled for the two of them, and he'd also thought it was about time, but that didn't mean he was above giving his friend a hard time. So he shrugged and said, "Hey, it's your funeral. You're the one who's signing up for monotony...I mean, monogamy."

Sam grinned. "I think that's 'Congratulations", in Dean-speak."

Cas turned back to the counter and looked at Clive expectantly. Clive was smiling. He had seen and heard most of the men's' exchange, and even though he hadn't been able to make out every word of it, Clive got the gist. It was funny, too; he'd actually been about to ask for much more than the ring was probably worth, just because. But when this man looked at him now, his face so full of hope and love, Clive just couldn't bring himself to do it. There was just something about this guy that made Clive not want to take advantage of him. Anything they made on the ring would be clear profit, anyway; they'd been about to send it back, with no sale.

"Give me a thousand dollars for it," Clive said to Cas, and Cas peeled a few bills from the wad of cash he had in his hand and gave him the money. Sam and Dean looked at each other with relief. As far as they were aware, that was a reasonable price.

Clive gave Cas the box, and he put it in his pants pocket next to the remainder of the money. There was still quite a bit of money there. Cas really hadn't known how much engagement rings went for, so he and Tommy had played hard, for as much as they could make. Maybe he would just put the rest of the money in the bunker's safe for now, along with the ring. They should probably start saving for the honeymoon, anyway. He and Gail could talk about all that. But at least he had accomplished the very important first step.

He smiled at his friends. "Let's go home."

Kevin was on the verge of tears again, and Gail felt badly for him. They were in his apartment in Heaven, and they were alone. She had asked the other Musketeers to leave, and she hadn't wanted to have this conversation in full view of Linda's poor vessel, which was still lying on the bed in Linda's own quarters, so she had asked Kevin if they could talk here.

She had explained the situation to Kevin as best she could, but he was upset, and understandably so. "What are you telling me, Gail?" he exclaimed. "That my Mom's soul is missing?"

Gail didn't quite know what to say to that. In a way, he was absolutely right.

Kevin began to cry, but this time his tears stemmed from frustration. Still, he was glad that it was only Gail here. He wasn't as embarrassed to cry in front of her as he would have been in front of one of the guys.

"What's Bobby going to do about it?" Kevin wanted to know.

Gail made a face. She put her hand over his, but he jerked his hand away. "Don't try to mother me, Gail," he snapped.

She was a little taken aback; she'd never heard Kevin talk like that before. But as soon as he'd said it, Kevin regretted it. None of this was Gail's fault.

"I'm sorry, Gail," he said to her. "I've just had a bad day."

She raised an eyebrow to him. "There's a lot of that going around. Lucifer will do that to you," she said wryly.

Now Kevin felt worse. He supposed he was being a bit selfish; Cas and Gail hadn't had the best of days, either. And Chuck and Ethan had told him about all those Demons they'd had to fight and kill in the den.

"But for the record, I happen to agree with you about the situation with your mother. That really sucks," Gail continued. "I don't blame you for being frustrated. I wish there was something else I could tell you, Kevin."

"Maybe you could tell me why Bobby didn't go to Limbo and check for her there," Kevin said, looking her in the eyes. "You know, I know that Bobby is sort of a father figure to us all, but in a lot of ways, I always did kind of feel like he was my dad. My Mom left my real Dad when I was pretty young, and Bobby's the first guy who's ever treated me like a real father would. And Chuck and Ethan are like my brothers, and you and Cas are - "

"Watch it," Gail quipped, holding up a finger. But she smiled, to show him she was teasing.

"You and Cas are like my Aunt and Uncle," Kevin finished, giving her a faint smile in return. Then his expression grew serious. "But if Bobby doesn't care enough about me and my Mom to go to Limbo and check for her there, maybe I was wrong. Maybe we're just like employees to him, or something."

It really bothered Gail to hear Kevin talk like that. They were all like one big family now, and she didn't want Kevin to feel disillusioned, or cut off, like she had sometimes felt in the past. So she took a deep breath, hoping she was doing the right thing, and said, "There's a reason Bobby didn't go to Limbo to check for your mom. It's because he can't. And the reason that he can't is because he's not God any more. Only Cas and I know about that, so I'm trusting you to keep it a secret, Kevin. Will you do that for me?"

He looked at her, astonished. "Bobby's not God? Well then, who is?" he asked, dazed.

Gail gave a half-shrug. "At the moment, nobody, I guess," she replied. "Apparently, Heaven's going to have to have its first election. But Bobby didn't want to do it now, not with Lucifer running around out there. You never want your enemies to know that you're without a leader. That would make us too vulnerable."

Kevin could see that. He was an intelligent young man, and he had studied history and politics. Part of him began to feel excited about the prospect of an election in Heaven and being part of the democratic process. He had enjoyed being on the board and helping out by translating the ancient language. He knew he had a good brain, and it did Kevin's self-esteem good when he used it to its full ability.

"Do you promise you'll keep it quiet?" Gail persisted. "Please, Kevin. You can't even tell Becky."

Kevin snorted derisively. "You don't have to worry about that. We broke up earlier."

Gail was surprised. "You did? Why?"

Kevin looked at her. "OK, you told me a secret, so I'll tell you one: she's in love with Sam."

Gail's heart sank. Truthfully, that wasn't as big of a surprise to her as maybe it should have been. Now it all made sense. But poor Kevin had certainly been kicked around a lot today, hadn't he?

She put her hand on his again. "Oh, Kevin. I'm so sorry. I guess you win the Day From Hell sweepstakes today."

He gave her another thin smile. "I'm sorry I'm being such a snothead, Gail. I guess Lucifer was right. I guess I do need to grow up," he said to her.

Gail frowned. "Lucifer was NOT right, Kevin. He's not right about anything. He's the biggest liar in the world. The sole purpose of his existence is just to screw with us. But we'll get him, Kevin. If we all work together, we can get him. I have faith in that." She stood up. "And we'll figure something out about your mom, too. Please don't lose hope, Kevin. We need you as a member of our team."

He got up too, and Gail gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Gail," Kevin said, giving her a squeeze. "You're not really like my Aunt, you're more like my sister," he continued, adding, "my younger sister." He smiled at the look on her face as she said, "OK, now you're just being silly. But I'll take being your slightly older sister. I'll take that all day long," Gail said, patting his cheek. "Actually, as Angels, we're all technically Brothers and Sisters, anyway," she added.

Kevin's smile grew. "Just don't think about that the next time you kiss Cas," he said to her.

Gail laughed. "That was a good one, Kevin. Frank would be proud."

Then they hugged once more, and she left his apartment. She started walking the halls aimlessly, just thinking. Were things ever messed up, now. They still had no idea where Lucifer was, or how to get to him. Bobby wasn't God, and Heaven had no leader. Linda's soul was missing. And now Kevin and Becky were broken up, because Becky loved Sam. That was bound to be interesting, the next time they all got together.

Gail walked to the office where Becky worked, and she greeted the young Angel. "Becky, can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure, Gail. What's going on?" Becky asked her.

Gail sat down and told Becky about what had happened earlier in the Demon den. She also confided in Becky that Kevin had told her that the two of them had broken up.

"It's not really any of my business, but I just wanted to ask you to try to be considerate of Kevin's feelings," Gail told Becky. "He's having a hard time of it right now."

Becky was looking at Gail. That was really too bad about Kevin's mom, but as far as Becky knew, Linda would be back soon, one way or another. Almost everybody in their group had come back after having been dead, or somewhere else for a while. And she knew that Kevin was upset about their breakup, but he would get over it. It's not as if the two of them had been in love, or anything. Why should Gail even care about that, anyway?

"I'm not sure it really is any of your business," Becky said tartly.

Gail sighed. "I guess you're right, Becky. I just don't want things to be messed up as far as the team goes. Taking care of Lucifer is our number one priority, and if we have to put our personal feelings aside to do that, then that's what we'll have to do. Right?"

"OK, Gail. I understand," Becky replied. But she stared after Gail as she left the office. Becky supposed she was right, but she hoped that Gail wasn't going to try to stand in her way when it came to Sam. She doubted that Gail had any feelings for Sam, but Becky was unsure of how Sam felt about Gail. In any event, Becky still hoped that Gail would keep her nose out of it.

Then Becky turned back to her computer. She'd better get to work, before Patricia yelled at her again. Ever since Frank's wedding, Patricia had been extra strict. Becky sighed, and started to daydream about her and Sam's wedding.

Cas beat Gail back to the bunker, but just barely. She popped into the library area just as he was emerging from behind the bookshelves. He'd been putting the ring and the money in the safe, and he'd taken a little longer in doing it because he kept on looking at the ring. Cas couldn't believe how perfect it was. He knew that a sapphire represented faithfulness and sincerity, and it calmed him just to look at it. But once he'd closed the ring box, he'd started to feel nervous again. Now that he had the ring, how on earth was he going to propose? He knew that a woman remembered every detail of her marriage proposal for the rest of her existence, but he had no idea where it should take place, or what he could possibly say to her that would be special or memorable enough. It wasn't enough to tell her that he loved her; he told her that all the time. He could tell her that he wanted to spend the rest of his existence with her, but she should already know that, too. How could he adequately express the depth of his feelings for her? If she was not his mate, he would cease to exist. Everything he did, every breath he took, was for her. Maybe he could manage to tell her that, if the words would come out after he got down to his knee.

"What are you doing back there?" Gail asked him when she appeared.

"Getting a book," Cas said quickly.

"Oh," Gail said, but when he came out to greet her, he had no book, and he had a funny look on his face. "Where's the book, then?"

Cas came to her and put his arms around her. He thought quickly. "I was going to get a book," he told her, "but now that you're here, I'd much rather do this, instead." Then he kissed her.

Gail smiled. "Good answer." She'd been wondering about his odd behaviour, but he was here, and he was safe, and that was all she cared about right now. Especially considering what had happened earlier.

They went over to the couch and sat down, talking about Gail's trip to Heaven, and the fact that Linda's soul was missing. Cas frowned at that. "That IS strange," he said. "She shouldn't be in Limbo, either. But, she's got to be somewhere. Let me think about that for a while."

"Where are Sam and Dean?" Gail asked him.

"I think they went to the kitchen, to get something to eat," Cas replied.

"Good." Gail leaned forward and told him quietly about Kevin and Becky, and about Becky's feelings for Sam. "I tried to talk to her about it, but she wasn't exactly receptive, so I gave up," Gail said.

Now Cas was thinking about that, too. He didn't really believe a long-term relationship between an Angel and a human could work out; at least, he'd never seen that happen. But Cas doubted that Sam was interested in Becky, anyway. However, that really wasn't any of Cas's business, and the bottom line was, it didn't concern him all that much.

He was just about to tell Gail that when they heard the notification sound coming from the computer. Gail looked at Cas and he nodded, and they both rose from the couch and went over to the table.

Gail opened the computer, and she smiled. "Jody sent us some pictures from the honeymoon," she said delightedly.

"Nothing too personal, I hope," Dean quipped. He emerged from the hallway with a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

Gail smirked. "They're in Disneyland, Dean, and they've got Robbie with them."

"Yeah. Poor Frank. The only action he's gonna see are action figures," Dean said, sitting down at the table.

Gail clicked on the e-mail, and she and Cas began to look at the pictures. She saw one of Frank and Robbie eating ice cream, and both of them had more ice cream on their faces than in their cones.

"That looks familiar," Cas said, tapping the photo on the screen and smiling. "Are you certain that you and Frank aren't related, after all?"

Gail looked sidelong at him, trying to look mad, but her lips were twitching. "Smarty pants," she said, and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey, let's see those pictures," Dean said. Now Sam came out from the hallway with his own sandwich and a glass of milk, and Gail turned the computer around so the brothers could see.

Sam smiled. "It looks like they're having a great time," he said. "I'm happy for Jody. Frank, too."

"It sure looks like he loves being a dad," Gail remarked. "Poor Robbie, though. Frank's going to be such a bad influence on him," she joked.

They sat around making small talk for a while, and then the brothers stood from the table and announced that they were going to bed.

Gail looked at Cas and sighed. "I wish I could go to sleep. Today was emotionally exhausting," she said to him.

"I have just the thing for that," he told her. "I'll be right back."

Cas went to their room down the hall and selected one of the books from the shelf. Then he came back out to the library area and took Gail by the hand. "Come with me," he said.

She stood and followed him back to the living room. "Lay down, please," Cas said to her, and she smiled, and did as he requested. He covered her with the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and then moved over to the chair, opening the book.

"Now, where were we?" Cas said, leafing through the pages.

He began to read to her, and Gail closed her eyes. The sound of his voice was soothing, and it was just what she'd needed right now.

Cas read to her for hours, and when his voice started to become hoarse, he got a glass of water and continued. She looked so peaceful laying there with her eyes closed, smiling, as he read to her. But finally, as his voice started to give out again, Gail rose from the couch and came over to him, closing the book with her hand.

"That was wonderful," she told him, "but I think your poor voice needs a rest now. Let's just watch some TV." She took him by the hand and brought him back over to the couch. He grabbed the remote and sat down, and Gail lay back down, putting her legs on his lap. She put the blanket over both of them. It was early fall now, and the nights were getting a little cooler, but the blanket was more symbolic than anything at this point. It represented comfort and security. They both knew that some more hard times would be coming, and if they could steal a bit of serenity along the way, she didn't see anything wrong with that.

Lucifer sat in an armchair, looking through the newspaper. "Things are too quiet," he said to Mark and Jason. "Time to rattle some Angels' cages."


	4. Praise You

Chapter 4 - Praise You

Cas and Gail watched TV for the rest of the night until the morning, and just as he was about to turn the TV off to suggest that she might want to start making the coffee, the news bulletin came on.

"Tragedy has struck in the small town of Osborne, Kansas this morning, as a jumbo jet has crashed into a field there," the news anchor said. "We'll bring you more information as it becomes available."

Cas's brow furrowed. "Osborne? I believe that's near here," he said.

"What about Osborne?" Sam said, shuffling out from the hallway. He smiled down at Gail. "You've spoiled me," he told her. "I went looking for a cup of coffee, and there wasn't any."

As Gail shrugged, Sam looked at Cas and repeated, "What about Osborne, Cas?"

Cas gestured at the TV. "There's been a plane crash there, apparently."

"Oh. That's too bad. That's just to the south of us," Sam said.

Gail let out a breath. "Thank God Frank and Jody aren't due back for a couple more days," she said.

Then the reporter came back on, and he said that they had a correspondent who was live at the scene. The shot went to the field. There was a female reporter standing in front of the smoking wreckage, holding a microphone.

"Sandy, you can see the devastation behind me," the reporter was saying. "Incredibly, we have a survivor here." The shot widened to show a young girl standing beside the reporter. The reporter said, "Can you tell us what happened?"

"I don't really know," the girl replied dazedly. "All of a sudden, the guy that I was sitting next to got up and told me that the plane was going to crash. I thought he was just freaking out or something, but then he looked me right in the eye, and his eyes were totally black! Then he said that I had been chosen to be the witness, I would be the only one to survive the crash, and I was supposed to pass along a message to the Angels."

"And what was that message?" the reporter asked the girl.

The survivor looked into the TV camera. "He said for me to tell them that the Devil walks among us, Armageddon is at hand, and the Angels are going to die. Then a bunch of black smoke came out of his mouth, and the plane started losing altitude. And the next thing I remember, I was waking up, here. There was a man kneeling over me, and he told me not to forget about the message. And that man had red eyes. And then he disappeared."

Gail sat up straight as soon as the girl had mentioned black eyes, and now she and Cas and Sam all looked at each other.

"What the hell is this, now?" Sam mused aloud.

Cas stood. "Sam, please get Dean," he said. "We will go there and try to get some more information."

"Maybe you guys want to dust off your FBI suits, and I'll put mine on, too," Gail told Sam. "If we can try to get some information on where that plane originated from, and talk to the survivor, we might be able to find out where the den is. Maybe even get some information on Lucifer himself. He's probably the guy she saw when she woke up."

Cas was anguished. All of those people dead, just so Lucifer could taunt them some more? But at least they had a lead to follow, now. "I'll put my suit on, as well," he remarked absently. He had really been hoping to wear his suit next for a much happier occasion, Cas thought. He pictured the ring box. Then he sighed. This was the way that their lives always were. Taking down Lucifer had to be the priority right now.

Sam and Dean were talking to the detectives at the scene, and Gail and Cas were talking to the survivor.

So far, there was very little information to be had. From what everyone was saying, everything had seemed perfectly normal this morning. The flight was routine, the security checks had all been clean, and the weather and visibility had been excellent. No alerts on the radio, no course deviations, nobody at the ticket counter with black eyes. There was a representative from the FAA there as well, and he said that there would naturally be an investigation for any kind of mechanical failure. But this particular plane had just gone through a rigorous safety inspection. And there had been no bomb threats, nor had this been a hijacking, not that they could tell so far. Apparently, the plane had just simply fallen out of the sky.

The Winchesters knew that nothing would show up in the reports. Lucifer had just decided that he was going to wave his hand and swat down a plane, just because he could. Sam asked for a list of the passengers and their seat assignments, and he was checking to see the name of the man who had been sitting next to the girl that Cas and Gail were talking to.

She had been sitting on the ground when the four of them had gotten there, seemingly still in shock. The police had advised that she couldn't leave the vicinity until she was cleared to go, so Ursula had just been sitting there on the grass, waiting and shivering.

Cas and Gail had approached Ursula and when she had looked up at them expectantly, the Angels had exchanged glances. Cas had stalked off angrily in search of a blanket, giving Gail his suit jacket to put on the girl in the meantime.

The other officers she had spoken to had been very terse and officious, almost as if it was her fault that the plane had crashed, Ursula told Cas and Gail, starting to cry again. As a result, she had gone on the defensive, and as soon as she'd mentioned the black eyes, they had ridiculed her, as well. But no one could seem to explain to Ursula how she had survived when everyone else on the plane was dead, and why she didn't even have a scratch on her.

"There are many things that are beyond human understanding," Cas said to Ursula. He'd meant that to be comforting, but she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Gail smiled thinly. "What my partner is trying to say is that WE don't know how the hell that's possible, either."

Ursula relaxed. "But you believe me, right?" She looked from one of them to the other.

"Yes, of course we do," Castiel told her. "If anyone does not, they have a closed mind, and should not be heeded."

Gail was looking at Cas. He was full-on Angel Castiel now, and in his anger at the carnage they'd seen here, he had reverted to Angel-speak. "Don't mind him." She smiled at Ursula. "He did Shakespeare In The Park this summer, and I think he's still in character," she quipped.

Cas smiled at Gail. He'd loved it when she'd called him her partner. They should really do more of this kind of thing together, he thought. They had been so wrapped up in Heaven's problems and politics, and being victimized by their enemies, and also with their own personal problems, that they had scarcely been able to help anyone else. He liked that they were trying to do that now, even though the circumstances were very grim, and he liked that they were doing it together.

"My esteemed partner is right, as usual," Cas said to Ursula, smiling gently. "I just meant that the other officers should not have treated you that way. We're part of a special investigations unit that deals with these kinds of things, and I can assure you that what you saw was absolutely real."

"So the Devil is real? And he's going to cause Armageddon?" Ursula said, dismayed. "Well, he'd better not kill any Angels," she added angrily.

Cas's lips twitched. "We mean to do our best to see that that doesn't happen," he told her.

Sam and Dean approached the trio, and they introduced themselves as special agents with the FBI. Ursula had stood up from the ground now, and she gave Cas his suit jacket back, dropping the blanket he had given her on the ground. Gail was happy to see that her colour had come back, and she was no longer crying.

Ursula began to answer Sam's questions about the man who had spoken to her on the plane. Cas and Gail moved away.

"I'm glad she seems to be doing better," Gail said. "She almost seems mad now. And so am I, Cas. What the hell is Lucifer trying to accomplish, here?"

Cas frowned. "I don't know. There doesn't seem to BE any point."

"Could this be a distraction, maybe?" Gail mused aloud. "A diversion? Maybe he did this to get us to come here, taking our attention away from something else."

As they stood there thinking about that, Gail suddenly heard a soft voice from behind her.

"Hello, my dear," Death said.

Gail turned to look at him. He wasn't smiling, of course, because he never did. But he wasn't exactly frowning at her, either. Still, the sight of him gave her the chills.

Castiel moved instinctively between her and Death, as if to shield her. Then Death did smile, but it was a thin, sallow smile.

"Ever the old-world gentleman, Castiel," Death said dryly. "This is the first time I've spoken to both of you at the same time."

Cas grabbed Gail's hand. He didn't like the way that Death was looking intently at Gail, as if she was of particular interest to him. "Why are you here?" Cas asked Death. "I know that there have been quite a few lives lost here today, but why did you come personally?" he inquired of Death.

"I'm actually here to do you a favour, Castiel, so mind your tone," Death said sourly.

Cas inclined his head. "Apologies," he said tersely. Like everyone else, he understood that Death was a capricious entity who expected to be deferred to. Even God Himself spoke to Death with respect. But Castiel did not like having to kowtow to such an odious individual, and Death was still looking at Gail with far too much frank curiousity.

"I have come here to tell you that Linda Tran is in the Netherworld, and she may have the key," Death told them.

"The key?" Gail said. "To what?"

"To defeating Lucifer," Death replied. "I have it on good authority that she has made Luke's acquaintance there."

"Luke?" Castiel said, startled. "Of the Gospels?"

"Yes, Castiel," Death said patiently. "He has been in the Netherworld for aeons, and he enjoys female companionship. When I escorted her there, I may have brought her into close proximity with him. You're welcome," he added dryly.

Cas was astonished. Death was actually telling them that he had elected to place Linda in the Netherworld so that she could gather information for them from Lucifer's disciple Luke, and that Linda had already been successful? This was unbelievable, and it was unprecedented, too. Death had never involved himself, unbidden, in anything such as this before; he had always been impartial when it came to the disposition of souls. Usually, mercilessly so.

"Thank you," Gail said quickly. Her head was spinning, too. Being more of a novice at these kinds of things than Castiel was, she didn't realize the full significance of what was happening, but still, she knew that this was huge. There was only one problem. How were they going to get the information?

"How are we supposed to communicate with Linda?" Cas said to her.

"I'll find out if Sam knows of any other psychics who can pierce the veil, without giving too much away, of course," Gail said in reply. It was too bad that Jason had killed Oliver, she thought. They had had a contentious relationship when she and Cas had been Demons, but she was sure that he would have helped them gladly now.

"If you return to Oliver's house, you will find what you seek," Death told her. He gave Gail a thin smile. "Consider that a bonus. I myself feel that Lucifer is a spoiled brat, a scourge who must be stamped out like the cockroach that he is."

"Then why don't you just take him?" Cas asked Death.

"I cannot," Death responded. "He is the Alpha Original, and as such, he is beyond my reach. As is Crowley, and as are you, Castiel," he continued. "Not that I haven't tried." Now he was looking at Cas with distaste.

"Why would you say something like that?" Gail exclaimed, and Cas squeezed her hand in warning. He was long used to Death's disdain for him, and it didn't particularly bother him. He'd known that Death wasn't able to simply come along and take him, or Death would have done so long before now. Death had great scorn for Castiel, and the feeling was entirely mutual. But rank had its privileges, and so did nepotism, and God had always been a big believer in both. Therefore, even though they could certainly be killed by others, both Castiel and Crowley had immunity from being taken directly by Death, and apparently, so did Lucifer. And so must Metatron, or surely Death would have removed him from play centuries ago. Nobody liked Metatron. That only left one Original whose status was in question.

"Does that mean that you cannot take Gail, either?" Castiel asked Death now, holding his breath for the answer.

Death regarded him evenly. "I do not believe that I am required to tell you that, Castiel," he answered in a cool tone. Then he looked at Gail. "I like you. But do not feel that you can take liberties with me because of that."

"I'm sorry," she said, chastened. "I just don't know why you would say something like that to Cas, especially since you have helped him in the past."

Death raised his eyebrows to her, "There is a history there, and you do not need to concern yourself with it," he said.

Gail was really nervous now. She had never met a being who was so strange, so unreadable. So, because her nerves were strung so tight, she went to her go-to and quipped, "I just thought that maybe you were cranky because you hadn't had any good snacks lately. But you know what they say: even bad snacks are better than no snacks at all."

Cas looked at her, wide-eyed. Did she have any idea who and what she was dealing with here? He squeezed her hand again, hard.

But Death was looking at her, and Gail could swear his lips were twitching, just a bit. Death looked at Castiel then and said, "She truly is unique, isn't she? I suggest you cleave to her as closely as possible. We would not want anything to happen to her, would we?"

Cas just stared at him. What did that mean? Was it a threat?

Gail saw Cas's eyes flash, and now she was the one to squeeze his hand. Him losing his temper with Death would be all they'd need. "So, we have your permission to talk to Linda, I take it?" she asked Death in a conciliatory tone. "And you're saying we should go to Oliver's house to do it?"

"Correct," he told her succinctly. Then he started to move away from them, towards the wreckage.

"Wait," Cas said quickly, and Death turned around, regarding him coolly.

"You still haven't answered my question," Cas said nervously. "Are you able to take Gail, or not?"

"Nothing is forever, Castiel," Death said in reply. "You must simply love as best you can, for as long as you can." Then he turned back around, and then he disappeared.

Cas was beyond frustrated. Why couldn't Death have just answered the question, one way or the other? Was he trying to say that he could? Or was he just trying to drive Castiel nuts?

Gail knew exactly what was going on in Cas's head now, and she tried to make him feel better by quipping, "Why is it that none of you guys can ever seem to give a straight answer to a question?" in her best Dean-like voice.

Cas knew what she was trying to do, and he decided to play along. "What makes you say that?" he responded innocently.

She started to smile, and he put his arms around her.

"Cas, we're supposed to be FBI agents here," Gail told him.

"You said we were partners, didn't you?" he said lightly.

"Yes, but...I didn't mean THOSE kinds of partners," she said, but she was smiling.

"Can't we be both?" Cas asked her, and now he was smiling, too.

"Hey, quit it, you two. You're giving the FBI a bad name," Sam said, grinning. He and Dean came over, having finished talking to the survivor. But Dean was frowning.

"I don't think there's anything here," he told them. "Even if we get the manifest with the guy's name and address, we can go to his place and look around, but really, what are we going to find? Unless Lucifer's sitting around playing solitaire and waiting for that Demon asshat to get back, I'm pretty sure it's a dead end." His frown deepened. "Sorry. Poor choice of words."

"That's all right, we have a lead that's a lot more promising," Cas told the Winchesters. He and Gail exchanged glances. They would have to be a little bit delicate about this. Even though Sam would remember Oliver from the previous dealings he'd had with the medium, neither he nor Dean would have any recollection now of having pierced the veil to speak with Rowena in the Netherworld at Oliver's table. That had been during the process of obtaining the ingredients for Cas's cure, and now, Cas and Gail were the only ones in their circle who knew about that whole thing.

Gail's eyes widened. Now, she could see a much bigger problem. They could probably finesse their way around the need for a seance to contact Linda, but sooner or later, the fact that Rowena was alive and well now was bound to come up.

Cas was thinking about that too, and he knew one additional thing that the others didn't, not even Gail. Well, at least he thought he knew it. There had been a hex bag hanging by the door in the Demon den before Gail and Chuck had burst through it. And, while there were many witches walking around the Earth, Cas was fairly certain that had been Rowena's handiwork. She had always been very ambitious. It wouldn't surprise him one bit to find out that she had hitched her wagon to Lucifer's star. And the woman had an axe to grind when it came to all of them, didn't she?

"Excuse us for a minute," Cas said to the brothers, and he took Gail by the hand and led her away, out of their earshot.

"I know what you're going to say, and I was thinking the same thing," Gail said to Cas. "Maybe it's better that we don't take them to Oliver's house until we figure out what's going on there. I know he's gone now, but Death told us to go to his place, so who knows what we'll find there."

"I agree," Cas said. "But sooner or later, we'll have to figure out what to tell them about Rowena being alive again." He told Gail about his suspicions that Crowley's mother was in cahoots with Lucifer, and she shook her head slowly.

"I wish I could say that that comes as a surprise, but it really doesn't," Gail said, sighing. She touched his arm, smiling faintly. "I do think it's adorable that you actually said 'in cahoots', by the way. But, I digress." Then she made a face. "Crowley's going to freak when he finds out."

Cas frowned. "I'm sure he really won't be too surprised, either. That's another appointment that we have to make." He took Gail's hand again. "But first, we'll see if we can speak with Linda and find out what she knows. This could be the breakthrough that we've been looking for."

They walked back over to where Sam and Dean stood, and Cas said, "We need to get the address of that psychic you've used before, Sam. Death was here, and he told us that Linda is in the Netherworld, and she may be able to provide us with some information as to how to defeat Lucifer."

"Death?" Dean exclaimed. "Man, I hate that guy."

"Do you mean Oliver?" Sam asked Cas.

"Yes," Cas confirmed. "Death advised he no longer lives in his house, but presumably, the person who lives there now can assist us." Cas was being very delicate now. Deception was never easy, especially not of people who knew you well. There was always something that could trip you up. That was why Cas had asked Sam for the address of the house, even though he and Gail knew full well where the place was. That was also why he hadn't mentioned anything about Oliver's death. Too many loose threads there. This was why Angels were sometimes deliberately evasive when it came to answering direct questions, Cas thought. Lying was wrong, and it should be avoided whenever possible. But it certainly seemed like he'd had to do a lot of that, ever since meeting the Winchesters. Was it merely the human condition that prompted individuals to deceive one another, or was it just the specific type of life that they all led that brought that out in him?

"You could be right about the passenger's place being an empty lead, but we thought you guys should go see, anyway," Gail piped up now. "So why don't you do that, and Cas and I will go to that psychic's place and see what we can find out there?"

So Dean walked back to talk to the local cops, and Sam gave Cas Oliver's contact information.

Dean came back. "George Headley, Kenosha, Wisconsin," he said to them. "If Sammy and I really book it, we can be there around suppertime."

"Call us if you find anything, and we'll do the same," Cas said to them. Then Sam and Dean left, and Cas took one last look around the scene. The flames had long been extinguished, but the wreckage of the plane was still smoking in the cool temperature of the morning, and the police and the medical personnel were bustling around, trying to deal with the human remains. What a sad, desolate tableau. All these people had done was to board a plane this morning, the same as many others around the globe did every day. But now, they had been reduced to blood and body parts, just because Lucifer had decided to make an example out of them, for some reason. And the fact that this had happened practically in the backyard of the bunker was surely no coincidence.

Their encounter with Death also troubled him. Cas supposed he should be very grateful that Death had installed Linda in the Netherworld and informed them that she might have the key, but Death's enigmatic comments regarding Gail were playing on Cas's mind. Going to see Linda was top priority, but so was Cas's other project now. Maybe especially now.

Still, they needed to speak with Linda, and they'd better do it right away. Cas took Gail's hand and they walked away from the wreckage, then disappeared into the morning mist.

Quinn opened her door to a man and a woman she had never seen before. They looked like pleasant enough people, but it was unusual for her to get drop-ins like this. Most of her clients called or sent e-mails first. And she didn't usually just open the door to people she didn't know, either, not without the benefit of at least having spoken to them, first. But really, when you looked at it, the very nature of her business was encounters with strangers. And if she was any kind of a psychic, she should be able to read people enough to decide who was decent, and who was not. And she'd better be able to do it. This was her workplace, but it was also her home.

The man was fairly tall, or maybe it just seemed so because the woman was short. Quinn smiled when she saw that they were holding hands. That made her relax right away. It had been her experience that people who intended to cause you harm rarely showed up on your doorstep hand in hand.

When Quinn smiled, so did the man, and the smile made his eyes crinkle. Then she noticed how blue his eyes were, and the blue became brighter when he looked at the woman whose hand he was holding.

Gail also smiled at Quinn, and she said, "Hi. My name's Gail, and this is Cas. We're sorry to just barge in on you like this, but we really need your help. Do you think that we could talk for a moment?"

Quinn looked at Gail's face. She had big brown eyes, Quinn noticed, and an open expression. The man she'd called Cas now said, "If you're in the middle of something, we would be glad to wait."

Actually, Quinn hadn't been doing much of anything when the couple had arrived. Things had been a little slow this week. She had taken out ads in the local papers and online, of course, but it was word of mouth that usually made you or broke you in this business. But that kind of thing took time, and her reputation here wasn't yet established. The man who had owned this house before her had apparently had psychic powers as well, but he had moved out in such a hurry that he had left quite a few books and some occult paraphernalia behind. The realtor had told Quinn that the seller had had to leave the country suddenly, and that he'd said she could keep all of it or throw it out. Or, she could burn it; he didn't care. Quinn had been puzzled at first, and then she'd decided that he had to be joking. There was a lot of stuff here, and some of it looked quite old, and very valuable. And he'd left behind some personal items too, things she was sure he would want to have back. There was an address book with contact names and numbers in it, along with notes on the nature of the business he had transacted with multiple parties, and the type of money to be made from each individual. A little too cynical, for Quinn's tastes. She'd heard that Oliver had been a curmudgeonly character, with a reputation in the community for being eccentric, to say the least. The word "eccentric" could be interpreted in several ways, depending on who was doing the interpreting.

He had also left behind a journal, Quinn had noted with surprise. Why on earth would he not have taken such a personal item with him? She had leafed through the pages, but her conscience wouldn't allow her to read it in any detail. Something like that was way too personal. She did notice that it dated back quite a number of years, back to when Oliver must have been a very young man. And he had kept it up all this time, though there were gaps in years, as if he had abandoned it for a while, or had simply had nothing to report during those times. She did see that he'd had a wife, and at one point, he had reported in his journal that she had left him. Quinn guessed she could understand why he hadn't picked up the pen for a while after that; he had probably been too heartbroken. Although, some people might have written even more, as an outlet to express their feelings. But Oliver clearly hadn't been one of those kinds of people. And there was another thing that was a little strange, too. He had resumed writing very recently, but much of his writing from a period of nearly two years ago had been heavily redacted, as though he'd written a lot of it in a frenzy and then thought better of it. Almost as if he feared the journal book might fall into the wrong hands. He hadn't done a very good job of it, though. He had simply taken a black magic marker and drawn thick lines through certain passages that Quinn was sure that anyone who knew what they were doing could decipher the writing underneath through. But her conscience had started to bother her again at that point, so she had made herself close the journal book. Then she'd called the realtor, who was currently trying to locate Oliver. So far, no dice, though.

But here she was, lost in thought, while the couple was standing patiently on her doorstep. "Sorry, I was just...No, I wasn't doing anything," Quinn said to them. "Come on in."

She opened the door and Gail tentatively walked in. The memories came flooding back now. Every time she had come to this house, she had hated the experience. But she had persisted and thank God she had. Cas was the best Angel and the best version of a man he had ever been now, and she loved him more and more with each passing day. And the turning point had begun with the cure, which had come, bit by bit, from the seance room in this very house.

Cas squeezed Gail's hand gently. He could see the reminiscence in her eyes, and he had a few memories of his own. He had been excluded from the actual seances, for the most part. Oliver had barred Cas from the house because he had sensed what Cas was, and Oliver had just barely tolerated Gail's presence here. It was still unclear to Cas just how much actual talent that Oliver had possessed, but Oliver had certainly been intuitive enough to know malevolence when he saw it. On that last fateful day, when Castiel, Crowley and Gail had all combined their essences to bring Rowena back to life here, he'd thought that Oliver was going to have a heart attack. No wonder he had sold the house and moved to Canada after that.

And now, they were here to try to eradicate the worst evil of all. Cas was very glad that he was able to be here for the process this time, because it was his responsibility that Rowena was out there, and it was also his fault that the former board members were in Hell. Had he not killed all three men, they would not have been there to conspire against Crowley using the Demon Tablet, and Lucifer and Metatron would still be in that cage. Yes, Cas had a lot of making up to do. But he was trying not to beat himself up about it too badly. If Castiel took everything on his own shoulders, as he'd usually done in the past, he would soon begin to feel like everything was his own fault, even the things that weren't. Then would come the bad feelings, and the self-loathing. Gail had taught him that to feel that way was damaging to himself and his relationships, and it was also unproductive. One could, and should, regret one's mistakes, and endeavour never to repeat them. But too much time spent in reflection of how stupid you had been to make them in the first place kept you from moving forward. He looked at Gail gratefully. That insight was one of the most precious gifts she had ever given to Cas, and he didn't know if she even knew.

Quinn extended her hand to Cas. Now that she was in closer proximity to the couple, she was starting to get a very warm feeling about them. Just one touch with each of them would confirm it.

As soon as Cas took Quinn's hand, she felt it. "You're an Angel," she said softly, and he smiled. "That's right," he confirmed. "And so is Gail. We're here to ask you for your help, Quinn. Will you help us?"

For a moment, Quinn was taken aback. He knew her name? She knew that Angels had powers that humans did not, but she didn't think they were necessarily psychic. She said this to Cas now.

Gail smiled and offered her hand to Quinn to shake. "Your name is on the sign outside," she reminded Quinn.

Oh. Of course. Quinn took Gail's hand and said, "Hey, I may be a psychic, but I never claimed to be smart."

Gail laughed merrily, and Quinn felt a wave of happiness wash over her when Gail did that. Then Quinn let go of Gail's hand and took a step back, regarding the couple. In those brief handshakes, Quinn had learned everything she needed to know about the two. These Angels were two of the very best, and they would be instrumental in taking down evil for centuries to come. If they both survived, that was. Quinn could also sense that they had many enemies, and many people were jealous of them. She sensed that some of those who they thought were their friends might not be quite as loving as they appeared to be. On the other hand, some of their perceived enemies might not be quite as evil as they appeared to be, either. The couple's aura was very blurred, in many aspects. But one thing was coming out very clearly; the two of them were completely and utterly in love with each other, and the male Angel was very anxious to get their business here accomplished, because he had another very important appointment to keep.

"Of course I'll help you," Quinn told them. "I've never pierced the veil before, but if the Angel you need to talk to is new to the realm and is cooperative, it should be easily done. Come with me."

She turned around to lead the way to the seance room, and Cas and Gail looked at each other, impressed. Quinn was the real thing, all right. They hadn't given her those details; she had just known. It was certainly going to save them a lot of time, Cas thought with amusement. And he was very anxious to get to that other appointment now.

Quinn prepared the seance room, lighting the candle for the middle of the table. She didn't bother explaining the procedure to them. As Angels, she was sure they would be familiar with the way things were done. She knew she wouldn't have any problems with asking them to maintain the connection, she thought, smiling to herself. They were already holding hands again.

"The Angel we need to speak with is named Linda. Linda Tran," Castiel told Quinn.

"OK," she said agreeably. She lit the candle and extinguished the lights in the room, then she came back to sit at the table. Quinn took Cas's hand on one side, and Gail's on the other.

The candle flickered immediately, and the temperature in the room cooled. Quinn smiled. "This may be even easier than I thought," she told them. "Linda, are you there?"

"It's not Linda, it's me." A male voice. The candle went out, and the room was plunged into darkness.

The voice was familiar, but Cas couldn't place it. Had Death set them up? He didn't believe that any spirit could actually hurt them, but the room was pitch dark now. Until he could identify who and what they were dealing with here, he was taking no chances.

Cas yanked on Gail's hand and pulled her towards him. He embraced her, covering as much of her body as he could. "Who's there?" he barked. "Show yourself!"

The candle's flame reignited, and it was Oliver who was standing before them. "I'm very sorry," he said. "I've never been on this end of things before. He smiled. "I didn't mean to scare anyone. Please, have a seat."

"Oliver!" Gail gasped, peeking out from behind Cas.

"Oliver?" Quinn repeated, shocked. "The man who used to own this house?"

"Yes, that's me," he confirmed. "Please, sit down, everyone. I'm not here to cause anyone any trouble. I just needed to talk to you for a moment."

Cas released Gail and she touched his face in gratitude. It had not escaped her notice that his first impulse had been to shield her when the lights had gone out.

"Where are you, Oliver?" Cas asked him. He automatically pulled Gail's chair out for her to sit in, but he was staring at the spirit of the former psychic, puzzled. Castiel and Gail had just assumed that Oliver had gone up to Heaven.

"Nowhere," Oliver replied. "Everywhere. I don't know. I just hang around this house, mostly."

Quinn was startled. "You've been here the whole time?"

"Well, off and on," Oliver confirmed. "I'm sorry, Quinn. I've tried to leave, but I can't. Something is holding me back. When I saw these two enter the house, I got excited." He looked at Cas and Gail. "I was hoping you might tell me how to get out of here."

Gail's heart sank. Oliver must be one of those restless spirits that Sam and Dean had told her about. Most of the ones that the brothers had encountered were angry, but Oliver just seemed confused.

Cas was shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Oliver, but we cannot. Only you can determine what binds you here."

"But I have no idea," Oliver said, frustrated. "I know I was an atheist for many years, and I was very bitter after my wife left me. But I believed in the end, and I tried to do the right thing. I don't know what else I can do."

"Usually when you're bound to the Earth, it's because you have some unfinished business here," Cas told him. "It must have something to do with this house, or something in it."

Quinn was frowning. She may be a psychic who owned occult objects and conducted seances, but that didn't mean that she wanted this guy haunting her house. What if she had a guy over? Could Oliver see her when she undressed at night?

Oliver looked at her. A smile was playing on his lips now. "Don't worry, Quinn, I would never spy on you," he said. His smile widened at her startled look. "Hey, I was a psychic, too," Oliver told her. "But I really didn't need to be one to tell what you were thinking."

Then the ghost looked at the Angels again. "I may have no right to ask this of you, but I was hoping that you could help me get out of this house," he said to them.

Cas sighed. "We're Angels, not exorcists," he told Oliver. "I can ask the Winchesters, I suppose. But we're here to see someone else, and it's vitally important."

"I know, and I'm sorry, Castiel. I just didn't know what else to do," Oliver said sadly.

Gail was thinking. Cas was right; defeating Lucifer had to be their number one priority. But she felt sorry for Oliver, too. It was funny how he seemed to invoke such strong emotions in her. She had pretty much hated him when she'd been forced to come here before, and he had treated her with such disdain. But she had been part Demon then, and she had brought a lot of evil into his house, out of necessity. So hadn't he been justified in the way he'd felt? She had chased him out of his own home, in a way. Ironically enough, now he wanted to leave it, and he couldn't. But what could they do to help him?

"Cas is right, but we'll talk to Sam and Dean and ask them what they can suggest. OK, Oliver? I promise you, we'll try," Gail said to him.

"Thank you," Oliver sighed. Then the candle flickered again, and the flame began to glow green. "I have to go now," Oliver said. "There is someone who is much stronger than me who is breaking through."

Then he was gone, and Linda was standing in his place. "It's about time," she said.

Cas couldn't help but smile. This was Linda, all right. "How are you, Linda?" he said.

She lifted an eyebrow to him. "How do you think? Lucifer killed me, I met Death, and now I'm stuck here in the Netherworld, having to act like a submissive sycophant. I'm great, Cas."

Gail was trying mightily not to grin, but she was losing the battle. Linda had a way about her, that was for sure. But Gail felt compelled to tell Linda about her conversation with Kevin. "He's having a bit of a rough time, but we'll help him, Linda. I swear we will," Gail told her.

"Thanks, Gail," Linda said, softening her tone. "Maybe my being here is for the best, anyway. He needs to be his own man, and I can't seem to stop myself from hovering over him. He'll have to find his own way, now. And I can be of some real help to Heaven here. You won't believe what this guy Luke knows. All he needed was a little feminine encouragement, and now he's spilling his guts. Lucifer has no idea how much harm this guy can do to him."

Quinn gasped. "Lucifer?" she exclaimed.

Cas looked at her. They'd almost forgotten that she was here. "Yes, Quinn. That's who we're here to defeat. That's why this is of such great importance."

The psychic's head was spinning. Here she had been, worrying about Oliver peeking at her in the shower, and these Angels were talking about needing her help to beat the Devil himself. If that wasn't a wake-up call, she didn't know what was. "Of course," she told Cas. "Of course I'll help."

Gail was looking at Linda. "When you say 'feminine encouragement', exactly what do you mean?" she asked Linda, who smiled. "No, nothing like that, Gail. Don't worry," she said, "We've just been having tea. He's a bit of a bigot, so he assumed that just because I'm Asian, I'm basically willing to be his geisha. He doesn't even know that I'm Korean." She snorted derisively. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't know the difference. And he's a male chauvinist pig, too. No offense, Cas, but your generation isn't exactly a model of enlightenment."

He frowned. "I know, Linda, and I'm sorry about that. But were you able to get some information from him?"

Linda grinned. "Are you kidding? He's singing like a canary. In another day or two, he'll be telling me about the Dead Sea Scrolls, and who really killed Kennedy."

"Oh, you don't want to know about those things," Cas said quickly, and the women all looked at him. Was he serious, or was he joking? Even Gail couldn't tell.

"But we're digressing," Cas continued. "What have you learned, Linda?"

"Another cage can be constructed that will hold him," Linda told them. "And you'll need all the Tablets to do it."

"But the Tablets have been destroyed," Castiel protested. "I destroyed the Angel Tablet myself."

"You did?" Gail was startled. She realized that there was still so much about Cas's history that she didn't know. But she supposed that was also understandable, in a way. They may have known each other for nearly four years now, but they had spent much of those four years dealing with crisis after crisis, not chatting.

Castiel was now realizing the same thing. He looked forward to the days ahead when he and Gail could just sit around and talk. They could talk for hours and hours. He would tell her everything and answer whatever questions she would have. They would also have to talk about the fact that she'd been adopted, too. Who were her real family? Did she want to find them? He would help her if she did, of course, but Cas knew that there were bound to be emotions connected with that whole thing which she hadn't had the chance to process. He could definitely help her with that, too.

But for now, he made do with squeezing her hand. "I'll tell you that story at a later date. But the fact remains that it has been destroyed, and now so has the Demon Tablet. And the only other Tablet that I can think of is the original piece of stone that held the Ten Commandments." He and Gail exchanged small smiles. "And while we're familiar with how to gain access to that one - "

"No, that's not what I'm talking about," Linda interrupted impatiently. "These are different Tablets." Cas was startled. There were more Tablets? But he stayed silent, giving Linda a chance to speak further.

And she did. "Luke told me that there are five Tablets, one representing each of the realms: Heaven, Hell, Earth, Purgatory, and the Netherworld. If you can get all five, and the code etched on each can be deciphered, the cage to hold him can be reconstructed."

Castiel was astonished now. This was the first he was hearing of any of these Tablets. Presumably, Crowley didn't know about them either, or he surely would have mentioned them by now. Maybe Lucifer didn't even know of their existence. Their Father may have shared this information with one or more of the original writers of the Gospels, which could explain how Luke knew about them.

"Where are these Tablets? How do we obtain them?" he asked Linda.

She held up her hands. "Whoa, Cas. I don't have all of that, yet. I'll pry it out of him, though, I'm sure. I've been fawning all over the guy, acting really impressed by who he is, and his former exalted status in Heaven. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to start giving you some specifics tomorrow. But be prepared to travel. From what I understand, they're in different locations around the world."

Cas and Gail exchanged glances again. Travel would be no problem for them. But Gail felt as amazed as Cas did. She was also a little dismayed. Hadn't she done something very similar to this before? Seven ingredients. Five Tablets. Unbelievable. But she had to remind herself that this time and this situation was very different. This was Linda, not Rowena. And this time she and Cas were on the right side of things, and they were working together. She sighed. This was apparently just the way things worked in their screwed-up world. Everything took time. No wonder they were eternal beings.

Castiel was resigned, as well. He had a lot more experience with the way these types of things worked, and as the modern vernacular went, it was what it was. He just prayed that Lucifer wouldn't cause too much more bloodshed while they were working on the method of imprisoning him once more.

"We'll be back to see you tomorrow, then," Cas said to Linda, "assuming that's all right with you, Quinn?" he added, looking at the psychic.

"Yes, of course it's all right," Quinn told him. She was stunned by what she had heard, too. This was huge. Her calendar wasn't all that full at the moment anyway, but this was hands down the most important thing she would ever do in her life.

"I'd better go. He's expecting me for tea," Linda said, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Would you like us to bring Kevin?" Gail asked impulsively. Castiel gave her a sharp look, and she half-shrugged. "I think it would make him feel better to see that his mom still has an existence, don't you?" she said.

Cas frowned, but he said nothing. He supposed that Gail was right, as she always seemed to be. But Kevin was a very young Angel, and not always the most mature of Angels, either. Depending upon what they were to learn tomorrow, Castiel might have to have a private chat with Kevin about the gravity and secrecy of the situation.

Linda smiled. Cas had that sourpuss expression on his face now, but Linda would love to see her son, and she was sure that Gail would convince Cas. Then, when Linda saw Kevin, she was going to tell him to get on with his life. There was nothing he could do for her now, and she didn't want him to waste his time brooding about her. Linda would get by just fine; she always had.

Cas nodded, sighing. "All right. We'll bring him. See you tomorrow, Linda."

Then the candle's flame snuffed out, and Quinn opened the black drapes to let some light into the room. Then she looked at the Angels. "Wow," she breathed.

Gail smiled. "Yeah, I know," she agreed. "Just a few short years ago, I was right there with you."

"Needless to say, you cannot tell anyone about the exchanges we have here," Castiel told Quinn sternly. "I do not believe your life will be in any particular danger, at least, not yet. But, still..."

Quinn opened her mouth as if to protest that last remark, then closed it again. A short while ago, she'd simply opened her door to a nice-looking couple, and now her house was being haunted, and she was being lectured by an Angel about their plans to imprison Satan. Now she was beginning to understand why Oliver might have felt the sudden need to sell this house and move to a different country.

But really, what else was she supposed to do? Not help them get rid of Lucifer? And then never have another decent nights' sleep her whole life, then go to Hell, when she died?

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then," was all Quinn said.

Cas and Gail winked themselves back to the bunker. Then they just stood there in the library area for a moment, looking at each other.

"What is it about you guys and Tablets, anyway?" Gail quipped.

Castiel had been deep in concentration, thinking about the implications of all of this new information. He looked blankly at her.

She raised her eyebrow and made a motion as if adjusting a necktie. "Tough room," Gail said.

Then Cas started to smile, and she said, "There you go." She put her arms around his neck. "I know. It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" Gail said softly. "I'm kind of new to this whole thing, but I can only imagine what it's like for you. But, it's the first lead we've had in forever, and that's encouraging, right?" She kissed him gently on the cheek. "Right?" she repeated.

Cas sighed. She was being very sweet, but he was extremely concerned about the potential for danger now. He knew that the retrieval of ancient Tablets was never easy, to say the least. There were bound to be extreme protections put in place at each Tablet's location. And there were a number of parties who would be very interested in the acquisition of these Tablets for their own use. Crowley, Rowena, Metatron, even Lucifer himself, should any of them get word of their existence.

He nuzzled Gail's cheek. Could he really ask this of her? Should he? But she was his partner; if not in formality yet, then in every other way imaginable. To embark upon such a mission without her was unthinkable to him now.

"Right," he murmured in her ear.

Gail smiled. She took a half step back and looked Cas in the eye. "You know what? I'm just realizing something."

"What's that?" he asked her.

"We have this place to ourselves," she said mischievously. "I don't think that's ever happened before."

Now Cas was thinking about the box in the safe, and once he had thought about it once, he couldn't get it out of his mind. They should probably be checking in with Bobby or talking to Kevin. But if they were going to embark upon such a dangerous mission, or missions, as getting the Tablets, he wanted to do it now. It had been long enough.

"Can you do me a favour?" Cas asked Gail. "Can you please go to our room and pack a change of clothes for yourself, and one for me, too?"

Gail looked at him for a moment. Then she simply said, "Sure, Cas," and left the room.

He stared after her. No questions, just "Sure, Cas"? Since when? But he was wasting time now. He'd better get over there before she changed her mind or came back.

Cas moved swiftly over to the safe and used the combination to open it. He took the ring box out and stashed it in his inside jacket pocket next to the blade. But that felt very wrong. But he couldn't be without his blade, not with all the dangers that were out there now.

He took the ring box out of that pocket and transferred it to the other inside pocket, closing the safe just as Gail came into the room with their overnight bag.

She looked at him with curiosity. That was the second time she'd seen him hurry out from back there, and both times he'd had the same funny look on his face.

"Looking for another book?" she asked him, eyebrow raised.

"That was very quick," he countered.

Fine, she thought. She would worm it out of him eventually. But he obviously wanted to go somewhere alone with her now, and Gail didn't mind that at all. She had a pretty good idea of what kind of danger might lie ahead for them, or at least, she thought she did. If these Tablets were anything like the ingredients for the cure, this might be the last time that they could steal to be alone together for quite some time.

Cas came to her and took her hand in one of his, and the overnight bag in the other, and winked them to Vancouver.

They were sitting outside on the terrace, enjoying the spectacular view. They had been talking for a few hours now, and Gail had noticed that Cas was keeping the conversation very light in tone. He had been reminiscing about their time here in Vancouver, talking about their friends, and commenting on the fact that fall was approaching. No Lucifer, no Tablets, no danger. And she was glad.

But it was strange, in a way. Cas was almost talking too much. It was almost as if he was nervous, or something. That was ridiculous, Gail knew, but that was the vibe she was getting from him. It was too bad that she didn't have her psychic powers any more. Then she could have just reached out and touched him and instantly known what the matter was.

Cas had been stalling, trying to figure out the right words to say what he wanted to say. His nerves had prompted him to keep up a constant stream of conversation. It was unlike him, and he could tell by Gail's expression that she was a little puzzled by his behaviour. It was getting later in the day now, and he was becoming frustrated with himself. Soon the sun would be setting, and the day would be over already.

He got to his feet and walked over to the edge of the railing, looking at the mountains and the water. He had the beautiful setting, and the two of them were peacefully and blissfully alone. He had fought the most vicious of enemies and faced God's own wrath in the past, but Cas had never been this intimidated in his entire life.

"What's wrong, Cas?" Gail asked him. "Tell me, please."

He came back to the place where she was sitting. Then he sat down again and took her hands in his. But as soon as Cas looked in her eyes, his throat closed up. What the hell had he been thinking? He couldn't do this. It was too soon. She would say no. Why on earth would she want to make the ultimate commitment to him? It was too much to ask.

Gail was starting to get really worried now. He was acting so strangely. He'd been talking for several hours, and now he was just staring at her. "What's going on, Cas?" she asked him again.

Suddenly, a white dove landed on the railing of the terrace. It was perched there, right in front of them, and it appeared to be regarding both of them. Cas and Gail looked at each other.

"Hey, it's our bird," Gail quipped. "I guess it just took him a while to find us way up here." Cas said nothing because he was still tongue-tied, so Gail continued, "You remember that, don't you?" She squeezed his hands, smiling.

He found his voice. "Yes, of course I do," he told her. "We were...disagreeing, and it flew in the window and sat on the TV, and then we were laughing."

"And we took that as our sign from God that He was with us, and not to give up hope," Gail added.

Cas nodded. That was right. And now here it was, again.

Gail continued, "And remember the white feather I found in the bunker, the one we held at the tribunal?" She had meant that to be light and positive also, but now Gail was regretting it. That feather had represented hope to them at the time, but that whole thing hadn't turned out so well. Maybe she should have just left well enough alone.

But Cas was smiling now. He rose from his chair again and approached the dove. This had to be the plainest message his Father had ever sent him. He extended his hand towards the bird. It cooed once and then shook its little body, shedding one white feather. The feather floated into Cas's outstretched palm, and he closed his hand around it gently.

"Thank you," Cas said softly. The bird looked at him with its bright eyes for a moment. Then its head darted towards Cas's hand and it pecked him once, painfully, and then it flew away.

Cas shook his head slowly, still smiling. Such was his Father's way. Giving with one hand, smacking with the other. But always reminding him that though there would be pain, there was always hope, and love.

He opened his hand briefly and looked at the feather. Then he put it in his shirt pocket over his heart and patted that spot. There. Now he had the confidence he needed.

Cas walked back to Gail and sat down beside her, taking her hands in his again. Gail was smiling, about to make a quip. Something about Cas being able to charm the birds right out of the trees, or how he was lucky it had only pecked him, and not pooped on him. So many quips, so little time. But she was rendered speechless when he suddenly slid down to his knees in front of her.

"I beg for your understanding, and I plead for your forgiveness," Castiel began. Gail was looking into his eyes. What was this, now? Was he going to apologize to her again about that whole Demon business? Going to Oliver's today had probably prompted this. But truthfully, she didn't need it, and she didn't really want it. The last time, when she'd said that enough was enough, she had meant it. She wanted to tell him this, but his eyes were growing brighter blue now, and now she was the one whose throat had closed up.

Cas continued, "I am both excited about, and scared of, the words I am about to say. These words have been used by many others before, but I know of no other words, and my feelings for you compel me to say them now. So, I humble myself in your presence. I reach for your hands while upon my knees, and I gaze into your eyes, asking that you believe that these words I say are true. I will always honour, cherish, adore, respect, and love you. Will you please..." his voice shook a little now "...will you please marry me, and be my wife?"

Gail's mouth fell open. Quite honestly, she had not seen this coming, at least, not now. Sure, she'd thought about it from time to time. She had even fantasized about it. But he had taken her completely by surprise. And the words he had used to ask her were so old-school romantic, so classically Castiel, that he had temporarily overwhelmed her.

But she was hesitating. Cas's brow was starting to furrow now, and his eyes were starting to dim. She realized what a huge deal this had been for him.

"Yes," she told him. "Yes, to both."

Cas couldn't believe it. She'd said yes! But in his excitement now, he'd almost forgotten. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out the ring box.

"I hope you like it," Cas said to Gail, and he opened the box. She looked down at the ring.

"It's beautiful, Cas," she said. She was glad it wasn't some huge monstrosity of a thing. And the stone was the same colour of Cas's eyes.

He took the ring out of the box with a trembling hand and slid it onto her finger. "What do you think?" he asked her softly.

"I think I'm the luckiest woman in this or any other world, that's what I think," Gail said.

He kissed her hand, the one with the ring on it, but she smiled and said, "I think we can do way better than that."

Cas looked up at her and smiled. He grabbed her hands and rose to his feet, pulling her with him. Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the mouth, parting her lips with his tongue. She gave him hers, and they kissed like that for a while.

Then Gail broke the kiss and said, "Look." She pointed to the sky. The sun was starting to set, and the sky was being painted blue, red, orange and gold, all at the same time.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in your life?" Gail said to him. Then she smiled at herself. He probably had, many times. But it was an awesome sight, almost as awesome as the blue-and-gold ring on her finger, and what it represented.

"Yes, I have," Cas said, smiling at her. He took her hand and they moved to the railing to watch the sun set.

After a few minutes, Cas turned to her and said, "Would you like to go inside?" She nodded, and they entered the suite. He slid the terrace door shut and turned back to her.

"There's only one problem that I can see," Gail said to him.

Cas's brow furrowed. "What's that?"

"You don't have a last name," she said teasingly. "How are people going to know what to call me?"

He smiled. "They'll call you the wife of the happiest Angel there ever was." He put his arms around her and kissed her again. "We have so much to talk about," he told her. "I know we'll have to make the Tablets our priority now, but you can start thinking about where you'd like to have the wedding, and when, and we'll go from there."

Gail smiled. "Our wedding. I like the sound of that."

"So do I," Cas said. He kissed her again, and his arms tightened around her. Now he was picturing her in a white dress, and him in a suit. Maybe even a tuxedo, if she wanted him to wear one. Whatever she wanted would be fine with him.

Gail was thinking about it too, and she was wondering what a wedding between two Angels would be like. She supposed it could be pretty much whatever they would like it to be. Probably more romantic than Frank and Jody's, considering how sloppily sentimental both she and Cas were. But she didn't necessarily require a big, splashy affair, either. Just something sweet and from the heart, with their family and close friends there. She smiled inwardly. They probably should get married in a church, though, just on general principles, considering who and what they were. She thought about walking down the aisle, seeing Cas standing down at the end in his suit. Sam and Dean would be standing up for him, of course. Hopefully, he would ask Frank to, too. She would probably ask Jody to be her Matron of Honour. They were sisters-in-law now, after all. Gail really wasn't close to any women, she realized. So unless Chuck was willing to put on a dress, Jody it was.

"What are you smiling about?" Cas asked her softly, smiling himself.

"Oh, I don't know," she said airily. "Maybe just because I'm so happy?"

He scooped her up and laid her down on the bed. "I'm happy, too," Cas told her. "In fact, I've never been happier." He leaned down to kiss her, and his hand moved down her body to touch her between her legs. "Would you like to continue to feel happy?" he asked her charmingly.

"As long as it's mutual," Gail replied. She reached down and touched him too, and she could feel that he was already excited.

Cas had wanted to try to take his time, but as soon as she touched him, his breath caught, and he started to undress her. Then he took off his own clothes and said, "Come here, Gail. Please."

She turned herself around until she was positioned by his mouth, and then she started to lick him, making him moan. He pulled her down to his mouth immediately, and the tip of his tongue was touching her, making her crazy. She took him in her mouth, and he grabbed her hips and sped up his tongue until they were both making sounds of pleasure. They continued until they were both crying out.

After they calmed down, Gail lifted herself off of him and then she laid down beside him. He held her close, and then he licked her lips with his tongue until she opened her mouth. They kissed like that for a couple of minutes, and then he said, "We should make the most out of tonight, since it'll be the last time we do this, until we're husband and wife."

Gail smiled, thinking he was joking, but then she noticed that he wasn't smiling. "Wait, what now?" she said.

"The next time after tonight that I make love to you, it will be as your husband," Castiel said to her. "Now that we're betrothed, it's not proper behaviour."

He had to be kidding with this. She was expecting him to break into a smile at any moment, but he was looking at her with a serious expression. "You're joking, right?" Gail asked him warily.

"No, I'm not," he insisted. "That is the way it's supposed to be."

Unbelievable. He really meant it. "But...we...just..." Gail couldn't even form a sentence.

"And that's why I think we should make the most out of tonight," Cas said firmly. "I will not touch you again in an intimate way after this evening until we are married."

Heaven help her, he was entirely serious. She didn't know whether to laugh or roll her eyes. "So...how do you feel about an early fall wedding?" she quipped, and he laughed.

"I know you probably think that it's silly, given our recent history especially, but that is the way I was raised, and so it is the way I will conduct myself after tonight," Cas told her.

"Ok, fine," Gail said mischievously. "Then I guess you can start conducting yourself properly right now." She rolled over, turning her back to him.

Cas lay there for a moment, confused. Was she angry at him? She hadn't looked angry, though. What did she want him to do, here?

Then she took pity on him. "I was just teasing, Cas," she told him.

She could hear his sigh of relief, and then he put his arms around her immediately and cradled her. He kissed her on the cheek. "I thought you were angry," he said softly in her ear.

"Well, I'm not thrilled," she said with some humour. "But I respect how you feel, Cas."

"Thank you," he said. "Of course, I'm not saying it will be easy." She could hear the smile in his voice, and he began to caress her body with one hand.

She could feel that he was getting excited again, and so was she, now. If this was going to be the last night of this type that they would have for a while, she wanted to make the most of it. So she wiggled against him, and he made a low noise into her ear that sent a thrill through her. He pushed forward, and she opened her legs to let him in. He licked her ear, whispering words of love as he pushed in and out of her. He caressed her breasts for a moment, and then his hand moved down and he began to stroke her slowly, at the same time as he sped up the motion of his body.

"I love you, Cas," Gail told him, closing her eyes. She started to whimper, and he pushed harder, speeding up his fingers. He licked her ear again, and she cried out his name, which made him move even faster. Then he felt the warm rush.

After they both got their breath back, Cas withdrew from her and she turned back around, touching his face. "I'm really going to miss this, for a while," she told him. "But I actually think it's sweet, and quaint, and old-fashioned. Just like you are, sometimes." She smiled. "But, I swear, we'd better get those Tablets quickly, or God help Lucifer. A few weeks of having to do without this, and I'll be ready to kick his ass myself."

Cas threw his head back and laughed. She was so cute, and so funny, and so perfect. He looked at her hand, where the ring sat sparkling on her finger. "Well, maybe we can squeeze in a ceremony somewhere along the way," Cas said to her, raising an eyebrow in comic fashion.

Then he rolled her over onto her back and moved his body down, kissing her stomach. Then he gently opened her legs. He nuzzled her thighs and kissed the insides of her legs on both sides. He kept on doing that for a while until she said, "Cas." Then he looked at her, smiling, and then he began to use his tongue on her. She started to quiver, and her hands flew to the back of his head as she cried out. She held him there for a moment or two, and then she released him. Her body was shaking as he moved on top of her and kissed her. "Did you like that?" he asked her, still smiling.

"Let's get married tomorrow," she quipped. "Screw the church, we'll just go to City Hall."

Cas laughed. "Just think how special our lovemaking will be on our wedding night, because we waited," he told her.

"I don't see how it could possibly get any better," Gail said, kissing his face.

"It'll be better because we'll be married," he said simply. "Just wait; you'll see."

"Well, I happen to think we're doing pretty good right now," she said lightly.

"That's because we're engaged," Cas said, continuing to smile. He felt excited just saying that out loud, so he said it again. "We're engaged. You're my fiancee."

"And you're MY fiance," Gail responded. She still couldn't believe it. What a strange yet wonderful thing to be saying.

Cas kissed her with his tongue, and he reached down to part her legs with his hands. He guided himself into her, and he pulled her body up to meet his. He pushed forward, wrapping his arms around her waist as he kissed her again. Then he brought her body forward by grabbing her by the hips, and she put her arms around his neck and gave him her tongue. He made a sound in his throat, and when she contracted her muscles, he made another, and then he was still.

Now it was his body that was quivering, and he murmured in her ear, telling her low much he loved her, and how good she always made him feel. Then he felt like he needed to lie down, so he eased her back onto the bed, and then he laid down on his back beside her. He closed his eyes for a moment, but he also automatically reached out for her and pulled her close to him.

Gail was lightly caressing his chest, and she kissed his chest softly a few times, making him smile. "Have I tired you out?" she said teasingly.

Cas opened his eyes and looked down at her. "Hardly," he said. "I was just enjoying the moment." He grabbed her ring hand and brought it to his lips, then put it back on his chest, over his heart. Then he told her the story of the ring, and Gail was laughing at the end.

"You know, if you'd rather marry Dean, I might be persuaded to step aside," she joked. "That is, as long as I get to live with you guys so I can see you all the time, and you promise to sneak into my room at night." She had meant for that to be lighthearted humour, but as soon as Gail said it, she wanted to take it back. Suddenly, she had a vision of Cas coming into her room at night, and then she saw flames, engulfing her body, and a sword coming down on Cas's head. What the hell?

Cas knew she was being funny, but his brow furrowed as he pictured what she had been describing. Now he could see himself sneaking into her room at night, and he could picture a bonfire, and a sword. But then the images disappeared, and he looked down at her, kissing her forehead. "Have you thought about where you'd like to live?" he asked her.

"Not really, no," Gail told him. "But I think we still want to be close to the bunker. I know that we can pop in and out of everywhere, but I'd still like to be near enough so that the guys can come over anytime they want. Everyone else, too." She started to feel excited now. "We could have a real home, Cas."

He gave her a gentle squeeze. "Yes. And we will. And I promise you, we will have that Christmas that you wanted. The Christmas that you deserve." Cas allowed himself to feel a moment of sadness about all of the lost opportunities. But this was their engagement night, and he didn't want to spoil it by opening old wounds. So he merely said, "I wonder how we're going to get our house, though. That'll take an awful lot of poker winnings."

But Gail was smiling. Apparently, Cas had forgotten. The truth was, she had almost forgotten about it, herself.

She looked at the engagement ring on her finger. "You were keeping my ring in the safe at the bunker, weren't you?" Gail asked him. "That was why you were acting so funny when I saw you behind the bookshelves."

"Yes," he confirmed. "I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

"When you were in there, you didn't happen to notice a cheque in my name for two million dollars, did you?" she said, her smile widening.

Her slot machine jackpot! He had forgotten all about that.

"We can get a nice three-bedroom house for that, and whatever is left over, we can give to the womens' shelter," Gail said softly. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Cas echoed. "You amaze me. "You're sweet, you're funny, you're beautiful, and you're kind. Oh, and smart too, of course."

"Geez, you know, it would be nice to get a compliment out of you every once in a while," she quipped.

Cas laughed, and he began to kiss her face. When he got to her lips, she opened her mouth immediately and offered him her tongue. Cas kissed her deeply, and she moved her body closer to his.

"Do you want to watch some TV, maybe?" Gail teased him. "Has the moratorium started yet?"

"No, " Cas said, smiling. "And, no. But you may have tired me out, just a little. So I want you to come here, please."

He lifted her body on top of his and then positioned her above his mouth. He held her steady by the hips as his tongue licked her delicately. He was teasing her now, and she started to make her sounds. As soon as he heard her doing that, Cas released his hold on her and his hands began to lightly caress her skin as she moved closer to his mouth. Then she began to move herself against his tongue, and Cas closed his lips around her. He sped up his tongue, and Gail grabbed the headboard of the bed as she cried out with pleasure.

When she finished, she was out of breath and her knees were trembling. Cas gently lifted her body up and laid her down beside him again. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to rest for a moment," he quipped, his eyes sparkling. "I should be fully recharged now."

Gail was still trying to catch her breath. She stretched out like a cat, sighing contentedly. "If that's you at partial strength, I'm almost afraid," she said dreamily.

"I can make love to you as many times as you need, for as long as you want," Cas said earnestly. Then he smiled. "I suppose that's one of the perks of existing as a celestial being. We would never have known about it before the new laws were passed, though, of course."

"There are more than a few Angels who are going to owe me big time for that," Gail quipped.

"And it will make Dean and Sam a little more eager to be Angels, I think," Cas added, raising an eyebrow.

They both laughed, and then Cas said, "As soon as morning comes, we'll pop over to see Barry and Tommy for a minute. They were involved in the subterfuge, and they told me they're dying to see the ring." He told Gail about the arrangement he had made with both men that day for Barry to keep her busy while he and Tommy made enough money for the ring.

Gail was impressed, and very pleased that Cas had put so much thought and planning into it. But she realized she shouldn't be that surprised. Cas was an old-school romantic, and he was a big believer in tradition when it came to such matters. Too bad he was such a stickler for tradition that they wouldn't be able to be together in this type of situation for a while. But her heart swelled with love for him now, and she said, "I'm looking forward to the most romantic wedding there ever was."

"We'll have that," he assured her, smiling gently. "You just let me know what you want, and I'll make it happen."

"That's really sweet, Cas," she said, touching his face. Then she smiled mischievously. "I want a wedding that'll be so romantic it'll make Frank and Dean puke. Do you think that you could write a few vows? Or, you could just wing it, no pun intended. What you said to me earlier was incredibly beautiful."

"I was so nervous I don't even remember what I said," Cas told her sheepishly.

"And that's one of the many, many things that's so wonderful about you," Gail said.

Cas raised himself up on one elbow and leaned down to kiss her, using his tongue. He kissed her for a long time, then they made love again, and then they talked some more. On and on it went, until the morning came. They could see the sun coming up through the terrace window, and Cas said, "We'll wait an hour or so, and then we'll go see Barry and Tommy. Then we'll go to Heaven and get Kevin. Maybe you can do that, while I let Bobby know what's going on."

"OK, Cas," Gail said agreeably. "One more hour, you say? Let's see; it'll take me about five minutes to shower, so we've got fifty-five minutes left over."

"That sounds about right," he said, smiling.

"And, since the day hasn't technically begun yet..." she said, raising an eyebrow to him.

"Yes?" he asked her teasingly.

"Well, if I have to spell it out for you, maybe we should just forget it," she retorted, smiling. "Maybe you're tired of making love. Do you want to play cards, or something?" She threw the covers off of herself and pretended to leave the bed.

Cas wrapped his arms around her waist, and he pulled her back into bed. "We'll be playing plenty of cards from now on, until the wedding," he said into her ear. "And, you're right; fifty-five minutes is fifty-five minutes."

Gail laughed, and Cas pulled her on top of him. She guided him into her, and he began to moan immediately. It was incredible. She and Cas had had a few extended sessions before, but this was the first time that she had experienced anything quite like this since the time that they had become Angels again. Was it the fact that they were now engaged that was making him this uninhibited? And what about her? She had the feeling that it was the same way for her. Who knew that she was so old-fashioned, in a manner of speaking?

But what he was doing to her now wasn't very old-fashioned, nor was it Angelic, though it did feel very, very good. He was stroking her lazily with one finger and caressing her body with his other hand. "Cas," she said shakily.

He smiled. "Yes, my love?"

"I love you!" she exclaimed, and he pushed forward once more, hard, and then they cried out together. Then she lay on top of him, and he covered her with the blankets and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She could feel his heart beating through his chest, and once they got their breath back, he kissed her gently on the forehead and said, "I could speak for a thousand years and never be able to tell you how much I love you."

"Wow, that'll be a long ceremony," Gail quipped. She raised her head from his chest and kissed him on the mouth. "Promise me you'll find a way to work something like that into the vows," she said, smiling. "Dean will have a cow." Then she said, "Well, give me just one more really sexy kiss, and then I'm off to the shower."

"We still have half an hour," Cas pointed out, but she said, "That's enough for now. I have to start getting used to abstinence." And, frankly, she was a little bit sore. But she didn't want to tell him that, because she thought it might make him feel bad.

But he did feel bad. "I'm sorry, Gail. I know I get carried away sometimes," he told her quietly. "Please feel free to tell me to stop at any time."

"I will, Cas," she said. "Don't worry, I will. But, it was a fantastic evening. I wouldn't change one thing."

He rolled her over on her back and kissed her once more. It was a long, slow, deep kiss, meant to last them for a while. He would not be kissing her again this way until the two of them were married. This kind of kissing excited him too much, and he could not give in to temptation from this moment on.

"I love you, Gail," he said when he finally broke the kiss. Then he rolled over to lay beside her. "Please, go take your shower now," he said, closing his eyes.

Gail smiled at him. Obviously, he'd meant what he said. He was so cute. She slid out of bed and grabbed her clothes from the overnight bag, heading off to the shower.

She emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, and she blew him a kiss. Then she walked over to the terrace to look out the window. It was going to be another brilliant, sunny day, by the looks of it.

"Go ahead, sweetie," Gail said, keeping her back to him. "Shower's free."

Cas smiled at her gratefully. He'd been afraid that if she'd come out from her shower less than fully clothed, or if she had approached the bed, he would lose his resolve. But they'd had their engagement night, and it had been everything he could have hoped for and more.

When he was showered and dressed, Cas transferred the white feather from the shirt he'd been wearing to the pocket of his fresh shirt. Gail smiled.

"We'll have to put this in the safe at the bunker when we return there," Cas told her. "You'll want to save it for your wedding memory book."

Gail looked blankly at him. Her what, now? But she was too embarrassed to admit that she had no idea what he was talking about. She'd better do some research, when she had the time.

Then she threw their clothes into the bag and they took one last look out the window. He grabbed the bag with one hand and her hand with the other, and they popped out of the room.

"At the risk of feeding a stereotype, I may squeal like a little girl," Barry said when he opened the door to them and Gail stuck her hand out to show him the ring.

"Squeal away," Gail said, laughing. He grabbed her hand and looked closely at the ring, then he looked at her face. "Sorry, Cas, but I'm going to have to kiss your fiancee, right on the lips," Barry said, smiling widely.

"I'll avert my eyes," Cas joked, and Barry kissed Gail. "I'm so happy for you," he said to her. "And might I add, it's about time."

"Aren't you going to kiss Cas, too?" Gail teased Barry. "I'll allow it, just this once."

Barry hugged Cas, and then he did give Cas a kiss on the cheek. Cas smiled. "So, when's the big day?" Barry asked them.

"We haven't gotten that far yet," Cas told him. "In fact, we may not see you and Tommy for a while. We have another project coming up, and it may take a long time to accomplish. It looks like we may be travelling extensively."

"So you won't be getting married until you're finished this new project?" Barry asked.

Cas smiled at Gail. "Well...that's still a topic for discussion."

Gail put her hand on Barry's arm. "But don't worry, you and Tommy will be receiving an invitation."

"I heard my name being bandied about," Tommy said from another room. "Is that Cas and Gail? Come in for a minute."

Barry opened the door wider to admit them into the apartment. Tommy was sitting at the computer in the dining area, staring at the screen and holding his cell phone. "Sorry, guys, I'm on hold with my editor. He called to let me know that a new wing to King Tut's tomb has just been discovered. It looks like this could be one hell of a story."

"That sounds intriguing," Cas said, leaning over Tommy's shoulder to look at the computer screen.

"Ummm...Tommy," Barry said. Tommy looked at him. Barry pointed to Gail, and she held her hand up to show him the ring.

Tommy's face lit up, and he dropped the phone and stood, grabbing Cas in a big bear hug. Cas hugged him back, laughing. "What about your editor?" Cas asked Tommy.

"Ahh, screw him," Tommy said, slapping Cas on the back. "This is way more important." Then he gave Gail a hug and said, "Let me see the rock." She showed him her finger, and he peered at the ring. "Not too big, is it?" Tommy teased.

"It's beautiful, and it's perfect," Gail insisted. "It doesn't need to be big."

Tommy rolled his eyes comically. "You're lucky you're an Angel. There are so many jokes I could be making right now."

Gail laughed, and she punched him lightly on the arm. "You sound just like my brother," she told him. "Who you'll meet at the wedding, along with our Angel friends. We'll let you know when, and where." She gave Cas a glance, then looked back at Tommy. "Are you going out of town to cover the story?"

"No," Tommy said shortly. "I was going to tell him to assign someone else. Once the hotel opens next month, Barry has promised me that he'll be at home more often. Then we'll have a few things to talk about. But I don't want to go on extended trips any more. Life is much too short. Well, for us humans it is, anyway." He reached out and took Barry's hand. "And when you find the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want that life to start as soon as possible. You two taught me that."

"Ooh, that's really good," Gail said. "Can I steal that for our wedding vows?"

Cas smiled and took her hand. He felt a little sad now, though. "I wish that the two of you could get married," he said to Barry and Tommy.

"What do you mean?" Tommy said sharply. "I thought you said that God was OK with it!"

"I meant, legally," Cas said, and Barry squeezed Tommy's hand. "They're from the States, remember?" he said to his boyfriend. He looked at Cas. "This is Canada, Cas. Gay people can legally marry in this country."

Cas's mouth fell open. "You can?" He looked at Gail, then back at their friends. "So why is it that it's legal here, but not necessarily so in the United States?"

Tommy laughed bitterly. "I've been wondering that same thing for years, Cas. The struggle continues."

Cas was puzzled. That made absolutely no sense to him.

"Don't worry about it, Cas," Barry said. "We're talking about your wedding, right now."

"We actually have to go," Cas told their friends. "But we'll be in touch as soon as we can." They hugged the men, and then Cas said, "Oh, and before I forget, we won't be using your suite any more, Barry. But thank you so much for giving us the use of it. It's a beautiful room, and we'll always remember our engagement night last night, thanks to you." He smiled and put his arm around Gail, giving her a squeeze.

"You were there last night?" Barry asked them.

"Yes, Cas proposed to me up there on the terrace, right before sunset," Gail told him. "It was really romantic. I would highly recommend it."

Barry smiled. "I wish I could put that in the brochure," he said. "'The view is so spectacular, even Angels will fall in love'."

They all laughed, and then Cas and Gail left their apartment.

Their next stop was Heaven, and Cas went to Bobby's office as they had discussed, while Gail went to Kevin's quarters. It was early enough in the day, so she thought he might still be there. Besides, his mother had just died; surely Bobby wouldn't require him to show up at his office if he didn't feel up to it.

Kevin opened the door, and she could see that he had been crying. She explained to him as gently as she could that his mother was in the Netherworld now, and although she still had an existence there, it was in spirit form only. "We're taking you to see her one more time, but I'm afraid it'll be the last time," Gail said quietly. "She knows you're coming, and she wants to talk to you. Your mom is a very brave woman, Kevin, and she's still helping us. In fact, what she's doing there may be the key to defeating Lucifer."

He smiled grimly. At least his Mom was still alive somewhere, in some form. And she was still fighting, by the sounds of it. Well, now he had to grow up and fight, too. He asked for a moment to wash his face, and then he came back out and walked with her to Bobby's office.

Cas had briefed Bobby on what Linda had said so far, and on their plan to return today to find out where the Tablets were located. "Depending on what we find out, we'll probably have to map out a strategy," Castiel was telling Bobby when Kevin and Gail walked in.

"Hi, Bobby," Gail said. Due to the fact that Kevin was with them and he was mourning his mother, Gail didn't say anything further, but Bobby had sharp eyes. He noticed something on her that hadn't been there before.

"Come here for a second, Gail," Bobby said, beckoning to her from behind his desk. He rose and walked around the desk as she approached him.

"Yeah, Bobby?" Gail asked, puzzled.

"What's this?" He grabbed her ring hand and brought it up to eye level. He looked at her, then looked at Cas. "Is this what I think it is?"

Gail had been about to make one of her quips, but she changed her mind when she looked into Bobby's eyes. "Yeah, it is, Bobby. Cas proposed last night."

Bobby's eyes crinkled, and he broke into a smile. "Congratulations, dear," he said to Gail, and gave her a gentle hug. Then he put out his hand for Cas to shake. "Congratulations to you both. And may I say, it's about damn time."

"Why does everybody keep saying that?" Gail said to Cas with a smile. He smiled back.

Kevin was smiling now, too. "Yeah, congratulations, you guys. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I know you're mourning your mom, and I thought it might be insensitive for us to come skipping in here with expressions of joy," Gail told the young Angel.

"I appreciate that, Gail. But this is a huge deal. Everyone in Heaven will be freaking, when the news gets out. It'll be like the Royal Wedding, or something," Kevin said.

Gail held up her hand. "OK, whoa there, my young friend," she said, smiling again. "Let's not get carried away. Anyway, let's just take care of this, and then we'll talk about happier things. OK, Kevin?"

He nodded, squaring his shoulders. It was time to man up and see his mother for the last time.

"Do you mind if I talk to Kevin alone for a minute?" Linda asked Cas and Gail.

"You can go to the kitchen and help yourselves to a cup of tea, if you want," Quinn told them, and then she smiled at herself, realizing the folly of what she had just said. "Never mind."

"That's all right, we'll just step outside for a breath of fresh air," Cas said. "We'll be back in ten minutes." He understood that the mother and son needed their private time to say goodbye, but the priority was still getting the information they had come here for.

Gail looked at him, then at Kevin and Linda. "Make it fifteen," she said. She and Cas rose from the table and Quinn joined both of her hands with both of Kevin's, to maintain the connection.

Once Cas and Gail were gone from the room, Linda looked at her son warmly. "I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you," she said to him. "You're a fine young man, and you will be one of Heaven's heroes. But you have to have more confidence in yourself, Kevin. Maybe my being sent here was a silver lining. Now I won't be hovering over you all the time. I know I tend to do that."

Kevin was distressed. "I know it's just because you love me, Mom," he said.

"That's right, I do," Linda said. "And I always will. But you have to find your own way now, Kevin. And if you insist on having Becky in your life, please just make sure she treats you right."

Kevin frowned. "Well, you don't have to worry about that any more, Mom. We broke up. She finally admitted to me she loves Sam."

Linda had been about to smile because she was glad to hear the news, but she restrained herself. Still, she said, "Good. I know it hurts now, but you deserve a girl who recognizes how special you are."

Kevin shrugged. "I guess you're right, Mom. I just don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing with myself. I haven't been able to generate a real prophecy in ages, and I'm not a very good fighter."

"All right, fair enough," Linda said, "but you're also extremely smart, and you know how to translate ancient languages. They're going to need you, Kevin. I have faith in you. It's time you had a little faith in yourself."

"What's it like there, Mom?" he asked her curiously.

"In many ways, it's like Heaven," she told him. "We all have our own quarters here, and we can pretty much do whatever we want. But it's a bit of an elitist place, and there isn't very much interaction here. It's not like Heaven in that respect, where we're all a family. But I'll do all right. After I pry all the information I can out of this guy Luke, I'll look forward to spending some time alone here. I'm going to get some art supplies and start painting again. Before I met your Dad, I used to paint all the time. I've got a lovely little seaside cottage here. I'll be fine, Kevin. Things could be a lot worse. Maybe when all this is over and you guys have Lucifer locked up again, we can have another visit. But please, Kevin, quit mourning me and get on with your life."

"Okay, Mom, I will," Kevin said. Tears prickled at his eyes, but he was trying to hold them back. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kevin. More than anything," Linda told him. "Now, I'll retreat for a minute while you go get Cas. He's going to start freaking out if I don't get back to business in a minute."

Kevin laughed, and the green candlelight snuffed out. Quinn rose from the table and opened the black curtains enough to let some light into the room. She was sniffling back tears. She'd had no idea that Angels had such warm and loving relationships with each other as she'd just seen demonstrated, and it gave her hope for the afterlife. But things were obviously not perfect there, either. Now this mother and son were separated, never again to be reunited except for the occasional visit like the one they'd just had. It was sad, really. And there were obviously challenges in the afterlife, too, and they were big ones. These Angels were about to take on a mission to rid Earth of Satan, and Quinn had the feeling that wouldn't be easy.

When she turned around, Kevin was wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. He looked at her self-consciously, but Quinn shook her head. "There's no shame in shedding a few tears, Kevin," she said, giving him a gentle smile. "Especially under these circumstances. I'm practically bawling my eyes out here, and I just met all of you."

"Yeah, but you're a girl," Kevin said, then he quickly amended, "I mean - woman. Sorry, Quinn. Don't tell Gail I said that. She might think it was sexist, or something."

Quinn laughed. "I won't. But I still say a man can cry, too. In fact, I don't think I would ever want to go out with a man who didn't cry, sometimes. That shows me that he's got a great capacity to love."

They smiled at each other for a moment. It was too bad she was a human, and a little too old for him, Kevin thought. She was really pretty, and she was obviously very understanding about the supernatural world.

"I'll tell Cas and Gail we're ready to continue," Quinn told him, and she exited the room.

Cas and Gail had gone outside, and he took his cell phone out of his pocket. "I'm going to call Dean," he told her. "I doubt they were able to find out anything of any use to us, but we'd better ask them to come back here. We'll probably be needing their help." Then he smiled. "And they'll want to hear our news, of course."

He called Dean. "Hey, Cas," Dean said. "I hope you've got something, cause we got nada."

"I think we've got the key, Dean," Cas told him. "Are you and Sam heading back now?"

"We're almost home," Dean said.

"Good," Cas replied. "We'll see you soon. Oh, and by the way: Gail and I are now officially engaged."

"Cas! Holy crap!" Dean exclaimed. Cas could hear Sam's voice in the background, and Dean said, "He did it, Sammy." Sam gave a whoop, and he said, "Here, give me the phone. You shouldn't be talking and driving anyway."

Then Cas heard Sam's voice in his ear. "Way to go, Cas!"

"Thank you, Sam," Cas said, smiling.

"Let me talk to her for a minute," Sam said, and Cas handed the phone to Gail.

"Congratulations," Sam said to her. "Ask her if she knows what she's doing," Dean quipped.

"Thanks, Sam," Gail said, and now she was smiling, too. "And you can tell Dean that I know exactly what I'm doing. In fact, it's the smartest decision I've ever made."

"I know it's the smartest decision CAS has ever made," Sam quipped, and Gail laughed merrily.

"We have to go do a thing, but we'll see you guys soon," Gail said, and she handed the phone back to Cas, who simply pressed the Disconnect button. Gail raised an eyebrow, but as he put the phone in his pocket and looked at her again, she saw that he now had his serious Castiel face on.

"What we're about to embark upon will be very dangerous," he told her. "Once we get the details from Linda about the locations of the Tablets, we will have to be prepared. Each Tablet is bound to be heavily protected, and we must make sure that none of our enemies find out where they are. Presumably, even Lucifer does not know of their exact location, or he surely would have destroyed them by now. But before we embark on our journey, I will arrange for your training session with Crowley. You must know what powers you possess, and so must I. It'll take every asset we have at our disposal."

"Are you planning on telling him about this?" Gail asked.

Castiel frowned. "I'm not sure. I suppose that we should. If he is truly to be our ally in this matter, he might be able to assist us, like it or not. His powers are considerable."

"So you're prepared to trust him?" Gail asked curiously.

Cas smiled grimly. "I didn't say that. But he did come back to the den where Lucifer was holding us, so I guess that's something. I have no doubt that he's highly motivated to take care of Lucifer. His Kingdom is being decimated."

Quinn came out on the porch and told them that Linda and Kevin had finished their conversation, and the Angels followed her back into the house. Once inside the seance room, Cas looked at Kevin. The young Angel seemed fairly composed, and Cas hoped that he would be all right. Castiel knew he came across as a bit cold and unfeeling sometimes to younger Angels like Kevin, but this was a very grave situation, and Castiel was responsible for everyone's well-being. He already felt badly enough about Linda. But it was also his responsibility to see that the job got done, and whatever it took to take care of Lucifer, the job had to get done.

He pulled Gail's chair out for her automatically, and when they were all seated, Linda returned.

"Thank you for letting us have our private moment, Cas," Linda said to him. "Now, down to business. The good news is that I have the location of the first Tablet. The bad news is that Luke only gave me the one. I think he's reluctant to give me everything, all at once. So I'll give you what I have on the first one, and I'll keep working on him for the others."

Gail frowned. Boy, did this sound familiar to her. It had been the same thing for the stupid ingredients. But she couldn't blame Linda; obviously, she was doing the best she could. That must just be the way that these things worked.

Cas sighed. "OK, Linda. What have you got so far?"

"The Earth Tablet is in the Valley of Kings, in Luxor, Egypt," she told them. "It's in a hidden chamber at the site of King Tut's tomb."

Cas and Gail looked at each other, astonished. Tommy had just been talking about that this morning. Castiel took that as a sign; their Father was clearly trying to assist them. If Cas had not taken Gail to the suite in Vancouver to propose to her, they would not have seen Tommy. Cas was sure he would be able to provide them with some much-needed information on the subject.

"Is there anything else, Linda?" Cas asked her.

"That's pretty much it," Linda replied. "Except he said it's very well-protected, and it's warded against Angels."

Castiel was nodding. None of this surprised him. He had been secretly hoping the Tablets wouldn't be warded, but realistically, he had somehow known they would be. It would be a lot to ask of Sam and Dean, but he knew that they would be eager to help.

His brow furrowed now. "Did Luke tell you if Lucifer is aware of the Tablets' existence, or of their locations?"

"Apparently, he's aware that they exist, but he doesn't know exactly where they are," Linda responded. "Luke's been crowing that he's the only one who knows. He was trying to blackmail Lucifer with them in order to get sprung from here, but Lucifer told him to forget it. So Luke's mad now. I don't think he's mad enough to come to our side, but he's venting, and I'm providing him with a sweet, sympathetic ear."

"What does that mean?" Kevin asked sharply.

"Nothing like that," Linda replied quickly. "But even if it did, that's something you don't need to know anything about. This is serious business, Kevin."

Kevin frowned, but he said nothing further. Cas looked sidelong at him, but when he saw that Kevin remained calm, Cas turned back to Linda.

Then Cas opened his mouth to speak again, but Linda surprised him. "And just when were you and Gail going to tell me that the two of you got engaged?" she said bluntly.

Now Cas allowed himself a smile. "It just happened last night," he told Linda.

"Congratulations," she said, smiling at them. "Just because I'm dead now doesn't mean I deserve to be out of the loop."

Gail gave a short laugh. "You're right, Linda. We apologize," she said.

"Let me see the ring," Linda said. "Hold up your hand." Gail looked at Quinn. "Will that mess up the connection?" she asked the medium.

"It shouldn't," Quinn said. Truthfully, she wasn't one hundred percent sure. But she was astonished at what they were saying now. Angels got engaged? Wait until she told her single female friends. Apparently, even after death, there was still hope.

Gail let go of Quinn's hand and held her ring out for Linda to look at. "That's beautiful," Linda remarked. "You have good taste, Cas."

"Of course I do," he said quickly. "Look at who I'm marrying."

The women all smiled at him, and Kevin shook his head. Maybe he shouldn't be taking fight lessons from Cas, maybe he should be taking lessons on how to say stuff like that to women.

"I'd better get going," Linda said. "I have some schmoozing to do, and you have a Tablet to get."

"Thank you for all you're doing, Linda," Cas said to her. "You're performing a great service for Heaven, and for all of humankind."

"Yeah, yeah," Linda said impatiently, but she was secretly pleased, of course. "I'll try to remember that when I'm putting on my kimono and pouring tea for the bigoted bastard." Then the candle snuffed out.

"Kimono?" Gail heard Kevin say in the dark. "But, we're Korean!"

She was glad the room was dark so that he wouldn't see her grinning. Linda had mentioned to her and Cas on their previous visit that Luke was an old-school chauvinist, and he was apparently also a racist. It was a good thing that Frank wasn't here. The jokes that might have come flying out of his mouth would probably have gotten them all in a lot of trouble. Not for the first time, Gail wondered how it would feel to be a member of a different race, hanging around with mostly white people. Even though they were Angels, most of them still retained their original vessels, and it just so happened that most of them in their inner circle, including herself, were Caucasian. So were their human friends. Even Cas and Crowley's vessels were white, although both of them were so ancient that their races might not even be applicable. She thought about Paul, the Demon who had betrayed Cas. He and his father Raphael were black, or at least their vessels were, and Paul obviously had a lot of resentment about the way he had been treated due to that fact. Whether the slights had been real or perceived, Gail had no way of knowing. But it was a topic that might bear discussion in the future.

Then Quinn opened the drapes, and the Angels stood and thanked her for her help.

"I guess you'll have to be kind of on call for us for the next while," Cas said to the medium. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Quinn told him. "I'm glad to help, any way I can. You're restoring my faith."

Castiel smiled. "I'm glad." Then he took Gail's hand and they walked out of Quinn's house, Kevin trailing behind. Even though she knew who and what they were, Cas knew that it was still disconcerting to humans to have them popping in and popping out, and he was trying to be considerate of her feelings.

Quinn watched as the three Angels went out the front door. As soon as they got to the front lawn, they vanished.

Wow, she thought. Just...wow. King Tut's tomb? Sounded like the movies, or something. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer that her new Angel friends would succeed in their mission and come back safe.

Kevin went back up to Heaven to await further instructions, and Cas and Gail headed straight for the bunker.

Sam and Dean were already there, and the instant their Angel friends appeared, Dean rushed to Cas and Sam rushed to Gail. Everyone started talking all at once.

Sam gave Gail a big hug, and he asked to see the ring. He'd seen it in the store, of course, but he wanted to see what it looked like on her. Cas had been right; it sparkled, just like her eyes did. Just like they were sparkling right now. He was happy for her, and if a tiny part of him was disappointed too, well, he would just have to get over it. She and Cas were clearly meant for each other, and at least she was still in Sam's life. That would have to be enough.

Dean was hugging Cas, too, and Cas was happily hugging him back. Dean was seldom this demonstrative, but Cas knew that deep down, Dean had a sentimental streak a mile wide. Bigger than Sam's, actually. It just took the right set of circumstances to bring it out.

Then they changed pairings, and Cas and Sam shared a more perfunctory hug, while Dean was practically crushing Gail. "OK, OK, Dean," she said, laughing. "Even Cas didn't hug me this hard when I said yes."

But when he let her go, she smiled up at him and touched his face. It was sweet that he was so excited for them. And she might as well enjoy it now, because she was sure that Dean would remember himself and start with the smartass comments any time now. And if he didn't, she was sure she could rely on Frank to provide some. He and Jody and Robbie were due back from Disneyland tomorrow.

Cas took the white feather out of his pocket and put it in the safe, providing no explanation. The brothers exchanged glances, and Gail gave them a half-shrug. "I'll tell you later," she said softly. Maybe Sam would know what a "wedding memory book" was.

Then Castiel came back to the table and took Gail's hand, guiding her to her chair. He pulled it out for her to sit in, giving Sam and Dean a grim smile as he did so.

"How do the two of you feel about Egypt?" Cas asked the brothers.

Dean couldn't believe it. This was straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Whatever. He wondered if Sam would make fun of him if he bought a fedora.

"Is it all right if I bring Tommy here, if he'll come?" Cas asked the brothers. "He's got journalistic connections, and he may be able to provide us with some very useful information before we go. The Tablet is warded, so one or both of you will have to be the one to actually put your hands on it. But Gail and I will assist in any way we can. There will likely be ancient protections in place, and I'm sure some of our powers will come in handy." He glanced at Gail. "Once we leave here, we're going to see Crowley. He has extensive knowledge of the powers with which our Father may have endowed us, and his ancient Enochian is much stronger than mine."

"Crowley?" Sam said with disgust. "Why does he need to be involved? I can help with Enochian translations, and so can Kevin."

Castiel looked at him calmly. Then he stood up and walked around the table, withdrawing his blade from his blazer. It was strange; a while back, such a sight would have panicked Gail beyond measure. Now she knew that he was merely going to show Sam the markings on his blade.

Cas set the blade down on the table in front of Sam. "Can you read these markings, Sam?"

Sam looked down, squinting. Then he picked the blade up and brought it close to his face, looking even closer. It was only appropriate that they were going to Egypt, because these marks looked like so many hieroglyphics to him.

Still, he didn't want to admit defeat right away, so he looked at Gail. "Is yours different from Cas's?"

She glanced quickly at Cas. She'd better be a little bit careful here. Neither Sam nor Dean had any memory now of her and Cas having had secret sessions with Crowley on this very subject when they'd been Demons.

Gail shrugged. "I guess so."

"Let me get it," Cas said. "I believe it's still in the weapons room." Then he brightened. "And, so is Metatron's. We'll be able to compare all three."

"Metatron's?" Dean said sharply.

"Yes, Dean," Cas replied calmly. "When I disarmed him at the cabin, we brought his blade back here."

"Oh," Dean said. "Well, OK. Bring them out, then."

Cas brought the blades out from the weapons room and laid them out on the table, side by side. Sam could see the differences between the styles of blades and the markings, but he started to shake his head. This was advanced stuff, too advanced for him.

"Is this one yours, Cas?" Dean asked him, pointing.

"Yes," Cas confirmed. "Gail's is in the middle, and Metatron's is on the right."

"Metatron's is much shorter, of course," Gail quipped, and then she clapped her hands over her mouth. She'd been about to joke that Crowley's was shorter too, but she didn't know if she should admit to having seen it.

But Sam and Dean were smirking. "You did NOT just say that," Dean said to her. "Behave like an Angel for once, will you?"

Cas was studying the blades intently, so he missed the double entendre, and the way Dean and Gail were looking at each other now. "No, she's right," he said innocently. "And I've seen Crowley's; it's shorter than mine, as well. Do you think that's significant?"

"I'm sure it is to Gail," Dean chortled. She picked up a book that was lying on the table and threw it at him, but she was grinning, too.

Cas looked up from the blades to see all three of them laughing. "Oh," he said. He smiled faintly. "I get it. Yes, that is amusing." Then he bent down to look at the blades again.

Sam shrugged, still laughing. That was Cas. He was obviously in full-on Angel mode now.

"Can you decipher the markings, Sam?" Cas asked him hopefully.

Sam stopped laughing. "I'm sorry, Cas. I can't. This is way too advanced for me."

Cas sighed. He had figured as much. It was too bad; he would much prefer to trust the translations to Sam than to Crowley. But it seemed that they had no choice. "Thank you anyway, Sam." He picked up his blade and put it back in his pocket, and then he asked Gail to take her blade, as well.

"We might as well get this over with, then," Cas said, sighing again. He sent out a call to Crowley on their private frequency, letting him know that he and Gail would be at the crossroads in a moment.


	5. Adult Education

Chapter 5 - Adult Education

"Our warehouse is still vacant," Crowley told the Angels. "I propose that we go there to test out Gail's powers."

Cas frowned. He didn't like Crowley referring to it as "their" warehouse. But he was determined to try to keep his temper in check, if he could. He wanted Gail to receive the best training she could get, even if it had to come from the King of Hell.

Cas took Gail's hand, and she automatically extended her left hand and took Crowley's. She had done that so often when the three of them had teleported that she didn't think anything of it by now. But Crowley felt the ring on her hand, and when they got to the warehouse, he continued to hold tight to her hand. Then he raised it to eye level. "What's this, then?" Crowley asked her.

Gail couldn't quite read his tone, but he was almost always being sarcastic, so she retorted, "What's it look like?"

"Slavery," he said, smirking. "Indentured servitude."

"Well, if that's the way you look at it, that explains a lot, doesn't it?" she said tartly.

Crowley looked at her, startled at what she'd said. Almost as if she knew something about their past relationship. But Cas was doing the slow burn, and he counted to ten, then to twenty. "Why on earth would you say something like that to her?" Cas asked Crowley. His voice still had an edge, despite all the counting he'd done.

"Just reminiscing about the last time the three of us were here together, I guess," Crowley said, dropping Gail's hand.

"Things are completely different now," Gail said to him.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "So when's the big day?" he asked them.

"We haven't set one yet," Castiel replied tersely. "Oh, so you haven't undergone the reverse ritual yet," Crowley said to Gail, beginning to smile again. She looked at him blankly, and he realized: she wouldn't know. If Castiel was holding to all of the ancient traditions, which he would, of course, he would hold to that one, too. Which also meant that poor Gail would have to do without, from now until the wedding night. Oh, well. Too bad for her. Maybe Crowley had better put her in touch with a good wedding planner, though. Castiel was cranky enough without the prospect of at least several more months of abstinence to look forward to.

"The what ritual?" Gail asked. She looked at Cas. "What's he talking about?"

"You'll find out," Crowley smirked. "Don't worry, I don't imagine it'll be too onerous in your case. But I'll look forward to seeing you again, then."

Gail was starting to get mad. If there was anything she hated, it was everyone else knowing something that she didn't, especially when it directly concerned her.

Castiel was glaring at Crowley. "I'll tell you later, when we're alone," he said to Gail. "But for now, I think we should just get down to business."

He told Crowley about the Tablets, and Crowley's mouth dropped open. It wasn't too often that he was presented with something as majorly important as this that he knew absolutely nothing about, but this absolutely gob smacked him. So, there were more Tablets, five in number, one representing each realm. And if they were all obtained and combined somehow, they could potentially lock Lucifer back up? Well, Crowley was all for that, and the sooner the better. If the numbers kept going down, pretty soon the King wouldn't have a Kingdom left.

"That crafty old bastard," Crowley muttered. He wished he'd gotten Luke. Luke seemed to be the smart, strategic one. John had been nothing but an oversized brute, who'd screwed Crowley's mother, and then let himself be overpowered and murdered by her. Some Demons were long on evil but short on brains. Actually, most of them suffered from this condition. At least John had been crafty enough to have risen through the ranks and become Crowley's right-hand Demon for all those years, until the redheaded bitch had brought him down.

Crowley looked at Castiel eagerly now. "So, where are we going?" Crowley asked him.

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Castiel said scornfully. "YOU'RE not going anywhere."

"You'll need my help," Crowley told him. "With all of the ancient protections, and inscriptions, that are bound to be involved? Good luck. I daresay the only reason you're here right now is because you challenged Moose to read your blade, and he couldn't. Am I right?"

Castiel frowned but said nothing.

"Come to think of it, I never agreed to provide YOU with any training, only Gail," Crowley taunted Castiel.

The trio were standing beside a large worktable in the middle of the warehouse floor, and Cas slammed his blade down on the table now in frustration and anger at his Brother, uttering an Enochian curse. He hadn't wanted to offend Gail by using an Earthly phrase, but Cas knew she wouldn't be familiar with the words he'd used. If Dean were well-versed in the ancient language, he probably would have added something like, "and the horse you rode in on".

Castiel's blade instantly transformed into a snake, and it sat there, coiled, as if waiting for an instruction.

Gail was astonished, but she was also amused. "I don't even think I need Parseltongue for this," she said to the men. Then she looked slyly at Crowley. "I'll bet you that if I were to ask him to, that guy would go straight for your face. Not that I would ever do such a thing to OUR teacher, of course." She gestured to Castiel, and then back to herself.

Crowley got it, and he sighed. He guessed he had no problem showing Castiel a few parlour tricks, as well. The survival of Crowley's Kingdom depended on getting Lucifer back in that damned cage, so the faster they got their hands on those Tablets, the better.

"How do I get it to change back?" Cas asked Crowley.

"Simply say the phrase in reverse," Crowley told him. Then he looked at Gail. "It's a good thing your future bride isn't that schooled in the ancient language, or she might not want to marry someone who speaks such vulgarities," he continued with great amusement. "Do you kiss an Angel with that mouth, Castiel?"

"Oh, as if you've never said it before," Cas said. He reversed the phrase, and then put his blade in his pocket once it changed back.

Crowley smirked. This could be kind of fun, actually. If he kept his Brother on edge like this, Castiel was a lot more amusing to be around.

Crowley looked at Gail again. "So, the ultimate commitment, eh? You're a brave, brave woman."

Gail rolled her eyes. "We'll let you know where we register. You can get us a set of dishes, or something," she said smartly.

"Are you sure you know what you're getting into?" Crowley asked her. "A marriage to an Upper Echelon Angel? Not to mention an Original, and one of Father's Chosen? 'Let no man put asunder' doesn't even begin to cover it."

"What are you getting at, Crowley?" Gail asked him, puzzled.

"Yes, what ARE you getting at?" Cas said suspiciously.

"Nothing," Crowley said, pretending innocence. "Just wondering if you're prepared to obey."

Gail smiled. "Who, me? What century are you living in? OK, I know. You've lived in all of them. But here's a news flash for you: we don't say that anymore."

"No?" he replied, raising an eyebrow. "Last I looked, it was part of the ancient text for the marriage vows."

"'Ancient', being the operative word," Gail retorted.

"She's right," Cas confirmed. "We're going to write our own vows."

"Well, isn't that cute," Crowley said. "Very progressive of you, Castiel. Though I'd still try to work that one word in there somewhere, if you can. Otherwise, she'll drive you crazy."

Cas smiled at Gail. He highly doubted that. But even if she did, he was looking forward to the ride.

Lucifer was sitting in his favourite armchair, lost in thought. Things had been awfully quiet on the Angel front lately. He'd caused that plane crash mainly just for the hell of it, but after that, things had apparently gone back to business as usual. The Winchesters had gotten into their car, the Angels were all back in Heaven doing whatever the hell it was that they did up there, and Castiel and Gail had gone to Vancouver for one of their periodic nights of hot sex. In other words, situation normal.

But Lucifer was growing extremely frustrated with himself now. He'd had all these grand plans when he had first escaped, and now, he just felt tired and bored. Sending Demons out to commit murders in his name wasn't nearly as satisfying as he'd thought it would be. He missed the personal touch, the one-on-one interaction with someone as you peeled every thin layer of their psyche away slowly, as you would with an onion. The delicate balance of holding someone's sanity in your hands, deciding whether or not to take it.

Mark was no fun to play with. He was an emotionless, sycophantic toady. And Jason was like a bloodthirsty robot. Rowena was in and out, but she would never allow herself to be played with in that manner. She'd put a hex on him first. Lucifer actually had a lot of respect for Rowena. She had pulled herself up by her bootstraps at a time when women were regarded as no better than slaves, and she had survived all these centuries playing by her own rules. Gail thought she had agreed to bring Rowena back to life in order to obtain the last ingredient for the cure, because at that point, Gail was desperate enough to agree to pretty much anything. But if Gail had read the fine print and taken time to think about it, she would have realized that there was something fishy going on there. If they had needed to, they could simply have used a sample of Rowena's DNA to complete the potion, something they could easily have gotten from Crowley. If they had needed to. Lucifer had grinned when Rowena had told him about that. Gail may have a smart mouth, but maybe she should study up on her lore a bit more, Rowena had said. Assuming the Angel could climb out of bed for long enough, of course. They may not be Demons, but that little detail didn't seem to matter to the likes of them, the witch had told Lucifer, and they had both laughed heartily. The way those two were behaving wasn't without precedent, Lucifer knew, but he didn't bother to enlighten Rowena about that. Enjoy it while you can, the Devil had thought.

Lucifer missed Aurielle; well, the sweet, submissive Aurielle, anyway. Although she had also had a sharp tongue in her head, at times. He wondered where the Angels had taken her. Had Castiel killed her again, and if so, in which realm had she ended up this time?

He closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair. He should have taken Aurielle to bed when he'd had the chance, way back when she had still been drop-dead gorgeous. So to speak. Too bad about her precious Castiel. Oh, well. Who cared? But she probably would have benefitted from having a little experience in that area by the time she got her chance to get busy with the object of her obsession. Castiel obviously had loads of experience now, with his little slut of a girlfriend. Lucifer had meant what he'd said about Gail being unwanted gutter trash. She was a newly-minted Angel who had been accidentally inserted into the thick of things, who their Father had inexplicably promoted to the exalted status of an Original. And, why? Just because she was servicing Castiel? That was another of Lucifer's regrets. He should have been forceful with Gail, instead of trying to woo her. She could be here right now, chained to the wall, kneeling down on the floor in front of him. Lucifer pictured her asking his permission to unzip his pants and then taking him in her mouth, and he smiled. It would be hard for her to make a smart remark under those circumstances, wouldn't it? He would push her head down and she would gag just a little, but he would tell her to keep going, and she would. Then, when he was satisfied, he might take her over to the couch and have her lay down on her stomach for him. He was pretty sure a woman like her would like that. The harder and more painful, the better, as far as Lucifer was concerned. Maybe he would tell her to call him "Daddy". It was pretty clear to Lucifer that she had some unresolved issues in that area.

"Sir?" Mark said. "Master?"

Lucifer opened his eyes, and they flashed red. He'd just been getting to the good part. "What?" he snapped.

"Luke just called me on our frequency. He said to tell you he's tired of waiting," Mark said.

"Is that right?" Lucifer said archly. "Well, I'll tell you what. You go back and you tell him that he can rot there, for all eternity. Tell him if he doesn't like it, he can eat me. Have you got that?"

"Yes, I got that," Mark replied, and he left the room quickly, before Lucifer took his anger out on Mark. At least, when he told Luke that the boss had said no, Luke couldn't send anything flying at his head.

"Where's Metatron's blade?" Crowley asked Castiel.

"It's still back at the bunker," Cas told him. "Why?"

"Because I think it wouldn't hurt to further study it and see what he can do, as well. Has any of your lot heard from him?"

"No, and the silence is eerie," Gail said, wrinkling her forehead. "From what I know of him, he likes to stir things up. But we haven't seen or heard anything from him at all."

Hmm, Crowley thought. That WAS odd. But he was pretty sure that Metatron would still have a part to play in this whole thing, before all was said and done. They would just have to wait and see.

Aurielle was walking down the street with the bags of groceries in her hands, juggling them as she went into her pocket to get the keycard to the shelter's premises. They had all been so lovely to her that when the opportunity to help had come up, she had jumped at the chance. Plus, she loved the sunshine and the early fall weather. But she wasn't used to being a human yet in some respects, so when she'd gotten to the supermarket, she had bought too much food, and she was struggling to carry it all now.

She dropped the keycard on the sidewalk just as she was rounding the last corner. Darn it! Now she would have to put all the bags down, and then try to pick them all back up.

A man bent down to pick up the card just as she was bending down to get it. "Here you go," he said softly. "Do you need some help with the bags? I could walk with you, if you like."

Aurielle looked up slowly, recognizing the voice. No. It couldn't be. Metatron?

He didn't recognize her, of course. She still had "Allison's" scarred face. She was a little less self-conscious about it these days. All of the women at the shelter were used to seeing terrible wounds and scars, and her face wasn't even the worst sight to see there. Everyone just assumed that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, and she had not bothered to correct them.

Ouch, Metatron thought. This woman could be quite a looker, if it wasn't for that one side of her face. But she had been struggling with the bags, and he didn't mind helping. He was pretty much all packed, and he had his false passport and ID now. His flight wasn't until tomorrow, so he basically had the rest of the day to kill.

Metatron began to scoop up some of the grocery bags. "Lead on, MacDuff," he said to her, and she looked at him, puzzled by his comment. The women at the shelter used funny expressions like that from time to time, but she would just play along, and then look them up later. The director had bought some new computers with the money that Castiel had donated, and Aurielle used Google a lot.

She let Metatron grab half of the bags and walk down the block with her. Aurielle's head was spinning. What was he doing here? Was he looking for Castiel and Gail? She was aware from what Richard had said that the couple came to Vancouver sometimes. Maybe she'd better warn them. But Aurielle wasn't an Angel anymore, so she didn't have access to Angel Radio. She'd better ask Richard if he knew of a way to get in touch with "Cas".

She tried to think of a way to get some information out of Metatron, but she couldn't think of how to do it without giving herself away. Aurielle didn't think that "So, where have you been ever since I helped you and Lucifer escape Hell?" would really be a very good ice breaker. And they were just around the corner from the shelter. So when they got there, she merely thanked him, and took the bags back from him.

"Do you want me to help you get those inside?" Metatron asked her.

"No!" Aurielle exclaimed. "You can't come in here!" That was the first thing they had taught her when she'd arrived. No men were to be let in, under any circumstances. No matter what they said. It was just too dangerous.

"Okie-dokie, then," Metatron said agreeably. What a weirdo. But he'd done a good deed anyway, and that should be the thing that counted, right?

Aurielle locked the door behind her, and her heart was beating swiftly now. She'd better find out if she could speak to Richard, as soon as possible.

"You can also part waters with it, as I can with mine," Crowley was telling Castiel. "See, here?" He showed his Brother the identical markings on both of their blades. "I guess our Father thought that one would be particularly funny."

Gail was looking at the two of them, astonished. They were actually getting along, the best she'd ever seen, bonding over the study of the ancient markings on their blades, and discussion of their powers. If anyone had told her that she would be observing a tableau where the two of them would be standing there with their blades in their hands, translating the language on them instead of putting them to each other's throats, Gail would have thought that person was crazy.

"Well, I don't know how handy that's going to be in the desert, but it's still good to know, I guess," she quipped.

Cas smiled at her. "I'm sure it will come in very handy, before long," he told her.

"Too bad you don't have that water-into-wine thing, though," Gail joked. "It would save us a fortune at the reception. As it is, with Dean there, the bar bill's going to be huge."

Crowley looked at the two of them. So, after untold millennia, Castiel was finally going to be allowed to get married. The lucky bastard. Crowley would never admit it out loud, of course, but he had always wanted that for himself again, ever since he had been given his chance and had blown it. That had been a time when he'd honestly thought that he was going to be allowed to keep her, for once. But then along had come Castiel, as usual. It was probably just as well. She was willful, and she was stubborn, and she and Crowley would never have lasted. Although he still admired her spirit, and her slightly wicked streak. If there were any last vestiges of his and Gail's blood bond left now, Crowley knew that they would be wiped clean once Castiel and Gail entered into the sacred bond. And that was probably just as well.

"Now you'll really have to find Metatron, to invite him," Crowley joked, smirking. "He does have that talent, as I recall."

"He could be like the creepy uncle sitting in the corner, the one that no one wants to talk to," Gail joked back.

"While I appreciate humour for humour's sake, I think we should focus," Castiel said sternly. "There will be plenty of time to make jokes once Lucifer is no longer a threat."

Gail and Crowley exchanged surreptitious smiles, but her smile quickly faded. Cas was right. She should really quit goofing around.

Metatron walked into a bookstore to see if he could pick up a little light reading for the plane. Maybe a couple of trashy novels. Nothing too heavy-duty. He was very excited about the prospect of flying in an airplane. Like most Angels, or former Angels, or whatever he was now, the idea seemed inconceivable to him. But he had to stay with the times, and he'd wanted to have the experience. He'd done an excellent job of assimilating, he thought, and he didn't see any reason at all that should not continue.

Writing fan fiction when he had first gotten here, just to keep himself occupied, had been the best thing he had ever done. He no longer posted his stories, of course. Ever since he'd signed the contract with the publisher, Metatron's stories were now proprietary, and copyrighted, and all that good stuff. And now, he would be able to add screenwriting to his resume. The publisher's office had contacted him a short while back to tell him that the producers of a certain TV show called Supernatural were very interested in Metatron's work. Apparently, the show had grown too big for the little screen, and they wanted to hire a few writers who they felt had vivid imaginations, and a good grip on the characters' personalities. So one thing had led to another, and now Metatron was headed to Egypt, to make his first set visit.

He knew where the Tablets were, of course. He'd always known about them. What a coincidence, then, that the first feature film for the show was being shot on location, in the same country as the first Tablet was located. Pure coincidence. Metatron was writing about the Tablets right now. The intrepid heroes of the piece were about to embark on an epic quest to gather all of the Tablets in order to defeat Lucifer, and it was going to be great. There would be adventure, romance, and danger. Did he want them to succeed? Whose side was he on, anyway? Metatron wasn't really sure any more. He was only rooting for a good story, at this point. This thing was a long way from over, yet. He'd figure out the ending when he got there.

Cas was starting to get better at recognizing certain words and phrases now, but he'd had years and years of instruction. Gail was still struggling. She had helped to write the new laws from ancient Enochian into plain English, but she'd had a lot of help, and she knew it.

"I'm going to call Tommy now and see if he will be willing to come to the bunker for a time, to help prepare us," Cas told Gail. "Keep going."

Gail nodded, as Cas turned his back on her and Crowley and walked away from them to make his call.

"You know, if I was as horrible as people say, I could just take this blade and run it through you right now," Crowley said casually to Gail.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I guess I could just take the Demon knife I have hidden somewhere on my person and run IT right through YOU," she shot back.

Crowley looked at her speculatively. "Do you really have one?"

"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't," Gail answered evasively. "But I wouldn't advise you trying to find out. Cas may not be a Demon any more, but I don't like your chances if he turns back around and sees you trying to touch my body."

Crowley smiled. "Touche, sweetheart."

She looked at him for a moment, then relented. "No, I don't have a Demon knife. They actually wanted me to hide one in my clothes, but I didn't want to do that. Somebody's got to trust somebody, if we're going to be allies."

He was impressed by her thought process, but a little surprised by her naivete. "Trust only goes so far," he said to her. "I should bloody well know. I'll bet your fiance has one."

Gail made no reply, and that was answer enough for Crowley. But he came here to help her, so he bent to look at her blade again before he had too much chance to think about the issues of trust, and knives. "I've been looking at this one," he mused aloud. "It's very complex, but basically, it talks about strength of mind." He continued to peer at the markings. "Let's see...Overpower? No, overcome..." Then he looked up at her. "Well, this certainly explains a lot."

"What is it?" Gail asked him curiously.

"It's a big one, and it's one that makes a great deal of sense now," Crowley replied vaguely. He raised his voice. "Castiel! You're going to want to hear about this."

Cas hung up the phone and came back immediately. "What's the commotion?" he said.

Crowley pointed to the markings on Gail's blade. "Look at this," he said.

Cas squinted at where Crowley was pointing. Then he straightened up. "You're kidding," he said to Crowley.

"I'm going to start kicking some ass in a minute," Gail said irritably. "What are you guys talking about?"

Crowley smirked. "It says here that you have been given the strength of mind to overcome any sort of memory modification, regardless of the source of that modification."

Gail thought about that for a moment. "That must be why I was able to regain my memory when Cas brought me back from L.A.," she said. "Well, eventually, anyway." Then she thought about all the times her memory had been modified. Crowley himself had done that to her, when he had kidnapped her and taken her to Hell, but she had snapped out of it as soon as Cas had shown up. Even God Himself had attempted to erase her memories of Cas having been a Demon, and while that modification had lasted a while, she had eventually shaken it, as well.

Cas allowed himself a brief smile. "That's good to know," he said. "That means that even if anyone tries to alter your memory, you'll be able to fight it. Anyone." Cas looked at Crowley as he said that. He hadn't forgotten about that little incident, either. And while it didn't really change anything that she had undergone in the past, it was still good to know.

Crowley thought it was highly significant, though. Lucifer was a guy who liked to screw with people's heads, so it was good to know that if he were to attempt to mess with Gail again in that manner, she would be able to shake herself out of it. And Crowley wouldn't attempt anything like that on her again either, because he now knew that he would just be wasting his time. It was interesting to Crowley that God had apparently even included Himself in that mix. Perhaps their Father was a little bit more enlightened than most of them gave Him credit for.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Cas said to Gail, touching her arm. They moved away from Crowley, and Cas said, "I spoke to Tommy. He said he'll come to the bunker immediately and go over his information with Sam and Dean. He also said he can provide them with journalists' credentials, which will open a lot of doors. I have to pop over and get him and deliver him to the bunker, and then I'll be right back. Are you going to be all right here with him for a moment?"

"I'll be fine, Cas," Gail told him. She thought about repeating what Crowley had said earlier about the fact that he could have killed her by now if he'd really wanted to, but she thought better of it. Things were quite civilized between the three of them right now. Did she really want to put that image in Castiel's head? He would freak out.

As it was, Cas looked pointedly at Crowley. "I'll be right back," he growled, and then he winked out of the warehouse.

Crowley smirked again. "And here we were getting along so well," he said to Gail, and then he added, "Actually, I'm glad we have a moment alone. There's something else I want to talk to you about. At the risk of sounding too much like Hannibal Lecter, I'm looking for a little quid pro quo here."

"What are you talking about?" she asked him warily.

"Once we have safely imprisoned Lucifer again, you are going to help me take care of my mother, as you promised," Crowley said calmly.

Crap. She HAD promised him that, hadn't she? "OK," she said. "I don't see that Cas would have a problem with that."

"Cas? Did I mention his name?" Crowley said sardonically. "You promised that YOU would help me."

"Yeah, well, so what? What does it matter?" Gail said testily.

"It is you who made the bargain, so it is you who owes the debt," Crowley told her in a serious tone.

She gave him a withering look. Most of the time, she couldn't see any similarities between him and Cas, but that had sounded just like something Castiel would say. Gail shrugged. Whatever. She was sure they could work something out. But he was nuts if he thought she was going to go sneaking around with him behind Cas's back. There was no way that was ever going to happen.

"Hey, you never know, it could be two birds, one stone," Gail said to Crowley. "If we're able to get Lucifer, she might be right there with him."

Crowley allowed himself one brief, sweet moment to think about his mother and Lucifer, shut inside that cage together, for the remainder of time. He might actually have to send Lucifer a sympathy card if that were to happen. He highly doubted it, though. Rowena was going to be even harder to capture or kill, Crowley was sure of it.

"Can I ask you something?" Gail said. He raised an eyebrow, and she continued, "Why do we have to go through all this elaborate stuff to re-cage Lucifer, anyway? Can't we just drop a house on him, or use the Elder wand, or something?"

Crowley smiled wryly. "Even if all three of us band together, we could probably give him a very hard time, but I sincerely doubt that we could kill him, no. Castiel may be our Father's favourite, but Lucifer has always been the Alpha."

Gail made a face. "Just for the heck of it, I'll ask: What if we were to add Metatron?" she asked him speculatively.

Crowley thought about that. "Four Originals against one," he mused. "That could get interesting." Then he shook his head. "But I'd forget about that, if I were you. Even if we were able to locate Metatron, I highly doubt that he would be inclined to help us. Everything that Metatron has ever done has only been for himself."

She looked at Crowley, and now she raised her eyebrow. "Funny, people say the same thing about you," Gail said, smiling. "But for the record, I don't believe that. I appreciate the help you've been giving us here, and I know Cas does, too. Even if he'll never say so."

They were smiling at each other when Cas popped back in. His brow furrowed for a moment, but he trusted Gail, and he was a lot happier to be returning to this kind of a scene than the type he'd been manufacturing fearfully in his mind.

Crowley was in rare form now. He had always responded much more favourably to politeness and gratitude, probably because it was so unusual for him to be shown either. He grew expansive now, showing the Angels other things that they could all do.

"I know you've been annoyed at being the only one of us who has the instant cleaning ability," Crowley said to Gail with a smile, "but here's something you can do to Castiel, if he refuses to help out around the house." He whispered an Enochian word into her ear and told her to point her blade at the wall and say it out loud. She did, and a golden ray of light resembling a laser beam came out of the tip of her blade and bored a hole in the wall, about the size of a thumbnail. "Also, handy if you need to look into a room," he added. "It'll repair itself as soon as you reverse the word."

"Wow," Gail said, impressed. "I feel like I've stepped into one of our wizard books, all of a sudden."

Cas couldn't help but smile at that. He kind of felt the same way. He'd felt resentful about not having known these things before, but now that he was discovering the meaning of the markings on his and Gail's blades and seeing for himself their real-life applications, Cas was excited. Now that Crowley had given him a good handle on the situation, he thought with some humour, he and Gail should be able to take matters into their own hands. He had long wanted to instruct Gail in the ancient language, and the ancient ways, and this was just the opportunity he'd been looking for to engage with her on an intellectual level. He could instruct her, and they could spend hours practicing their newfound skills in the empty field behind the bunker.

"I wish we could get our hands on Lucifer's blade, somehow," Cas said. "But he was very strange when I mentioned his blade to him."

"I imagine he's very protective of it," Crowley remarked. "Wouldn't you be, if you were him?"

"Yes, but that's the strange part," Castiel mused. "He claimed he didn't even have it with him."

Crowley smirked. "He probably told you that so you wouldn't eviscerate him, looking for it." Then he frowned. "I find it odd that he's been so quiet, though. It's like he can't quite figure out what he wants to do. But, be warned: when he gets wind of what you're doing, and he will, his response will not be quiet, and it will not be subtle. Don't let him distract you from the goal. And he will try. Once he finds out that you're planning to encage him again, he'll pull out all the stops to prevent that from happening. Tell the others, too."

Gail looked at him, amazed. The King of Hell, caring about what happened to their family and friends? He saw her look and interpreted it correctly. But being who he was, he couldn't let it stand, of course. So he raised an eyebrow and said, "What? I simply don't want to be denied the pleasure of killing all of you, myself."

The two Angels and the King of Hell all smiled at each other then, almost like the relations they were, and Gail found herself regretting, again, that the two Brothers had chosen such different paths in life. After all of this was over, Cas and Crowley would go back to their hatred-fueled manner of being with each other, and it would be like this time of alliance and cooperation had never even happened. What a shame.

"Let's get back to it, then," Crowley said briskly, and they all bent to the blades again.

Metatron sat in his hotel room making notes in a ringed notebook he always kept with him now. You never knew when or where inspiration might strike, and it was good to jot those ideas down when they were still fresh in your mind. He didn't use everything he wrote in there, but he had used quite a few of them, and he had more written down for the future that he may or may not use. Sometimes he wrote the story, and sometimes it wrote itself. Sometimes he would plan one thing out, but by the time he had gotten there in the narrative, it either didn't make sense to him to do it that way anymore, or the story had wandered off somewhere, into left field.

He had a lot of the ideas already thought out with regard to the Tablets. This was going to be one epic movie; several, actually. Lots of international locations, lots of special effects. Lots of drama, and intrigue. He hadn't yet decided if he was going to insert himself back into the narrative, or not. If he did, it could be a game-changer.

The visit to the publisher had been a real eye-opener in that respect.

Alex had chuckled. "How'd you come up with this Metatron character, anyway?" he had asked. "You're such a good writer that you make him somehow believable, but, what a douchebag. Absolutely no one likes him. Even among misfits, he's a misfit. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. And just when you start feeling a little bit of sympathy for him, basically being God's lapdog all those years while Lucifer, Castiel and Crowley were eating at the grownups' table, you turn around and make him into a pedophile! No one else would have the balls to do that! Even Lucifer looks good by comparison!" Alex laughed again. "Brilliant! But what the hell, Ted? Whoops, I mean, 'First Edition'. So, he and Lucifer escape from the cage, and then Metatron just drops out of the narrative altogether? How come?"

"I just didn't see what else I could really do with him," Metatron had mumbled, appalled by what Alex was saying. Metatron had never looked outside himself before, and he didn't like the reflection that his publisher was shining back at him. He knew he hadn't always been the most decent guy in the world, and he had screwed around a lot with some of them, Castiel most of all. But surely Metatron had some redeeming qualities, did he not? At least one or two? "And nothing ever came of that pedophile business," he said to Alex, feeling very defensive now. He didn't even know why he'd included that in there, actually. It had merely been fan fiction at that point, just a venue under which to take his creative writing skills out for a test drive. To this day, he had never acted on any momentary, fleeting urge he may or may not have had in that area. It had just been like standing on the roof of a very tall building, looking down, wondering what it would be like to just stretch your arms out to your sides and do the swan dive. What would it feel like on the way down, and how would it feel when you got near the bottom, knowing you couldn't take it back? The instant before you were pulverized, would you feel horrible, or would it feel wonderful? So he had never done anything about it, and then he had discovered what it was like to write everything down. But not to take down someone else's thoughts, as he had done in God's service. To truly be able to express yourself creatively, in your own words. So he had begun to write, and then he had very tentatively published one work, then another, on the fan fiction website. And now, writing was everything to him. Even if they weren't paying him for it, or sending him on location, he would do it, because not to do it would be simply to die.

But it had been bothering him for a while how the Metatron character was in the stories, and how he was perceived. He'd thought that he was sympathetic at times, but no one else seemed to see it that way. All of the feedback he had received had suggested that Metatron was a waste of space, hated and reviled. Unredeemable. He knew he shouldn't really care, but it was starting to get to him, anyway. Everyone had feelings, even him. He knew that you couldn't teach an old dog new tricks, as the expression went, and he was one of the oldest dogs around. But was reinventing yourself also not in fashion these days? And it was his story, after all. Could Metatron become...dare he even think it...a good guy?

They had had a very productive day, and Castiel was grateful to Crowley for his assistance, but it was time to go now. Crowley had been as well-behaved as he could be for as long as he could be, but the King of Hell's comments were beginning to get a little on the snarky side again, and Castiel's temper was starting to wear a little thin. Even Gail's nerves seemed as if they were getting frayed.

"I think we should call it a day," Cas said to them. "We've gotten a lot accomplished today, but that will have to be it for now."

Gail was practicing the golden laser beams with her blade, but each time she tried to do it, she either mispronounced the Enochian word and nothing happened, or her hand shook and the hole that was produced was ragged, and much bigger than it should have been.

She stamped her foot in frustration. "Dammit! Why can't I get it?"

"Let me hear you say it," Crowley said, approaching her. Gail said the word, and he smiled. "No, it's more like...here," he continued, gesturing. "Say it again." Gail did, and he grabbed her cheeks with one hand and moved her lips, "...that."

"All right, that's enough," Castiel said irritably. "You should not be touching her mouth like that. She is my betrothed."

"Really, Castiel?" Now Crowley bristled. Like his Brother was one to talk. "Funny, there was a time not too long ago in this very building when you yourself asked me to touch a lot more of her than - "

Gail rolled her eyes, interrupting. "All right, boys. That's enough out of both of you. I'm not a 'her', and I don't enjoy being spoken about like I'm a possession. You guys need to zip up and put them away now, and speak TO me, not ABOUT me." She looked at Cas. "If he touches me in an objectionable way, I'm perfectly capable of objecting for myself." Then she pointed a finger at Crowley. "And, you. You don't need to be bringing that up. We all regret that time, but it's over, now. Move on, already."

Crowley was impressed. Gail truly had a backbone now, and he could see that his Brother was going to have his hands full with her, if he was clinging to the old-fashioned ideal of a wife who minded her husband.

Gail was beginning to wonder about the same thing a little bit, herself. She hadn't heard Cas talk like that for a while. But Crowley always eventually brought out the worst in Cas, it seemed, so maybe she was concerned for no reason. Still, maybe she should have a little chat with Cas the next time they were alone, just to find out if there was more to this whole thing than he was letting on. What was that "reverse ritual" that they'd been talking about? Crowley had also made a remark about her promising to "obey" as part of her vows. But to his credit, Cas had shot that down pretty effectively. But she had a vaguely uneasy feeling now. She loved Cas more than life itself, and she really wanted to marry him, but Gail wanted to make sure she wasn't setting women's rights back a few thousand years while she was doing it. If Cas thought she was going to do whatever he said, just because he said it, he didn't know her very well. She really didn't like to fight with him, but if she had to, she would. Gail wondered how hot the make-up sex would be. It might almost be worth provoking a fight, just to find out. She'd always thought that he was kind of sexy when he was being stern. But she'd better quit thinking like that now; they didn't even have a wedding date set yet, and apparently, there would be no fooling around until the wedding night. So unless she was willing to try to seduce Cas out of thousands of years of traditional thinking, she supposed she'd better try to find out just what his expectations were, going into this thing.

She walked over to Cas and took his hand, and his expression softened immediately. "Let's go home," she told him. Then she looked back at Crowley. "Thank you for all your help, but I think we're all getting a little fatigued. We'll talk to you soon, okay?"

Crowley gave her a nod and a courtly bow, and Gail winked herself and Cas back to the bunker.

Lucifer was reading the newspaper again, and he was slowly shaking his head. He had promising humans that Armageddon was coming as part of his supposed Ministry, but there was something very fundamental that he had missed: in a lot of ways, it was already here. Couples were divorcing right and left, at the drop of a hat. Sacred vows didn't seem to mean much anymore. People would get married in a church on Sunday and be cheating on their spouse by the next Friday. There was something to be said for the ancient ways, he thought, although they did skew heavily in the man's favour, of course. No wonder everyone had wanted to have sons in the olden days, even going so far as to drown their babies in the river if they'd had the misfortune to be girls. It was a man's, man's world, as the song went. Too bad for the ladies. Oh, well. He didn't make the rules; he only benefitted from them.  
He would never dare to try to tell that to Rowena, though. She had come in here a little while ago, spitting fire because she had seen her son and Castiel and Gail, using that little trick that she had, and she had gotten the impression from what she had seen that they were acting like family, all of a sudden. This didn't surprise Lucifer in the slightest, though, given that trio's checkered history. Many times, they seemed more allies than enemies. But, Crowley and Castiel had been brothers by blood at the time of Creation, and that had to count for something, didn't it? So it didn't surprise him one bit that the three of them would throw in together to try to defeat him. And he wished them luck with that; he really did. Even three Originals combined couldn't stop him, though they would give him a little bit of a tussle, if push came to shove. Should be a lot of fun.

But Rowena was furious. She had paced the floor, her red hair flying out behind her. "Are they trying to make Fergus into an Angel now?" she had raged. "He stood there with her while Castiel disappeared, for at least ten minutes, and he had a blade in his hand. An Angel blade! And he made no move to kill her. None at all! In fact, they stood, talking, like...like an old boyfriend and girlfriend at a high school reunion! It was disgusting!" Rowena spat out. "My son, the King of Hell. He might as well bronze his bollocks and give them to the Angels as a wedding present! Gail can wear them as earrings!"

Lucifer was smirking. Rowena certainly had a way with words. In a way, he could see her point, but Lucifer also figured a de-fanged Crowley was one less thing for him to worry about, so he didn't really care.

"So what?" he said to her. "What do you care?"

She stopped pacing and whirled around to face him, and for an instant, he almost took a step back. She had a manic look in her eyes now, and even though she was a tiny little thing, Lucifer knew they would be crazy to underestimate her. Napoleon had been small, and so had Charles Manson.

"So? I'll tell you, so!" Rowena shrieked. "If they think they can turn the King of Hell good, I'll take one of theirs, and turn him so bad they won't even recognize him."

Lucifer was intrigued. "Really? Who? And how do you propose to do it?"

She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "So you think that's going to work?" Lucifer asked her.

"It always did before," Rowena told him, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. She didn't feel there was anything degrading about using your sexuality to get what you wanted, especially if you made sure that you were well satisfied in the process. And she and Bobby had never had any problems on that score before. Imagine having God by the...well, suffice it to say that Gail would know what that was like. The last Rowena had seen, her erstwhile killer had both Crowley and Castiel by those particular anatomical features. Although to his credit, Castiel had at least tried to assert his dominance. It was really too bad that Rowena and Gail could likely not get along well enough to co-exist; otherwise, they could start up a collection of those particular items on a long string, not unlike a string of Christmas lights. Rowena knew of a few players she could very definitely dominate, whereas Gail seemed to entrap them with a peculiar mixture of sweetness, vulnerability, and pseudo-feminism. Rowena knew that Gail didn't hop from bed to bed, so it had to be the men, convincing themselves that there might be the possibility of getting into her pants at a later date, maybe when Castiel was otherwise occupied. That had to be it; from Rowena's point of view, anyway. She couldn't see any particular appeal to the girl, really. She wasn't strikingly attractive, and she had no noble lineage, as far as Rowena was aware. In fact, Lucifer had told Rowena that Gail had actually been abandoned as an infant. So what was Rowena missing here?

For Lucifer's part, he was amused. It was always funny to see the dynamic between females. Aurielle had hated Gail, because Gail occupied the spot in Castiel's heart and in his bed that Aurielle had herself coveted. For the longest time, Aurielle had convinced herself that Gail had weaved some sort of a magical spell on Castiel. After all, what other explanation could there be? And now, Rowena was falling into the same way of thinking. While Rowena commanded far more respect than Aurielle in terms of being a danger to Gail, both women were missing the point. Gail knew exactly what she was doing. She entrapped the men with the oldest thing in the book: love. Yes, that was right. Love. Lucifer was not an idiot. He knew exactly the kind of hold that Gail had over Castiel, and Crowley, and Sam, and probably a few of the others, as well. It was genuine, and the hardest spell to break. If Rowena was in denial about that, she would find out. And Lucifer hadn't bothered to enlighten Rowena to the fact that Bobby was no longer God, either. Why spoil the fun? If she could turn Bobby bad, that was one more for her side. If it would keep her happy, she could turn Bobby if she wished. Lucifer didn't really care. He was just content to let things enfold for now, and see where the road would take them. He had nothing but time.

Metatron was watching TV, just marking time until it was time to go to the airport. He watched the early morning programming now, just waiting for the SkyTrain to start running. Even though he had a lucrative contract now, he still endeavoured to save money whenever possible, and he discovered that one could take the train from downtown Vancouver out to the airport very easily. All he had was one suitcase and his laptop, so he was good to go.

He channel-surfed through the inevitable infomercials. Then there were the nature shows. He watched those for a while, marveling at the diversity of their Father's creations in the animal kingdom. Metatron had been cooped up for untold millennia in God's service, never getting the chance to go out there and experience real life. Now that he had an opportunity to begin anew, he meant to travel the world and see different countries and different ways of life. And it was somehow appropriate that he should begin at the birthplace of one of the oldest known civilizations.

Once dawn came, Metatron checked out of his hotel room and walked to the SkyTrain station, then took the train out to the airport. By the time he got there, his flight was only an hour or so away, so he took out his notebook and jotted down a few more ideas that he'd had on the walk into the airport.

Then he began to smile. This was going to be epic.

\- END OF BOOK 15. -


End file.
